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CENTRAL CUBA 




I 



Map of Cuba 



Cuba 



and the 

Fight for Freedom 

It 

A powerful and thrilling history of the ** Queen of tlie Aiifilles," the 

Oppression of the Spanish Government, the Insurrection of 

1868 and the Compromise of 1878, and a full and 

vivid account of the present struggle of the ^ 

people for Liberty and Independence. 



PROFUSELY ILLUST 



WRITTEN AND EDITED 
BY 



I 

James Hyde Clark, L-* 

The well known author, assisted by one of the Cuban 
Patriots of the "Ten Years' War." 




PUBLISHED BY 

Globe Bible Publishing Co. 

723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



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Entered according to the Act of Oongrem^ «n the year 1896, 

By D. B. SHEPP, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



c^ 



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All rights reserved. 



S' 537^ 



PRESS OF 

ALFRED M. SLOCUM CO 

PHILADA. 



PREFACE. 



^z 



HISTORY of Freedom is a history- 
conflict. Nations have won their Hber- 
ties with the sword, and with the sword 
they have maintained them. This is the story of 
all time. Thermopylae and Marathon and Sala- 
mis record it, and Bunker Hill and Yorktown 
repeat it with reduplicated force. Tyranny exerts 
its sway by force, and force must be used to break 
that sway. One of these days the age of universal 
peace may dawn, such as was seen in vision by 
the poet, 

"When the war-drums throbbed no longer, and the battle-flags were furled 
In the Parliament of Man, the Federation of the World." 

But that time has not yet come. Until it 
does, we must expect to see peoples fighting 
against tyranny, and standing in armed guardian- 
ship over their hard-won rights. 

Such is the case with Cuba. That most 
beautiful of all earth's islands has long suffered 
the misgovernment of selfish and cruel masters. 

(5) 



6 PREFACE. 

Its people have been oppressed. Its resources 
have remained undeveloped. Its history for a 
century has been a tale of wrongs. Its people 
have protested and petitioned in vain. They 
have vainly sought redress by peaceful means. 
They have been driven at last to open and armed 
revolt. Such revolt, indeed, they have made 
before the present time, again and again ; but 
never with success. Their oppressors have been 
too strong for them, and other nations have 
been unready to interfere in their behalf. 

At this time, however, they have struck a 
more valiant blow than ever before, and with 
greater promise of success. Their heroism com- 
mands the admiration of the world, and may 
compel mediation in their behalf. Their foes 
are desperate, and savage in their desperation. 
But the cause of ''Cuba Libre" is gaining day 
by day, and no power that Spain can marshal 
seems to be able to prevail against it. 

If, as an ancient writer has observed, the 
spectacle of a good man contending with adver- 
sity is one upon which the gods look with sym- 
pathy, with what feelings must humane men and 
women everywhere regard the sight of their fellow 



PREFACE. 7 

beings struggling in a death-grapple with oppres- 
sion and injustice ! Surely every American heart 
must throb in sympathy with those of the Cuban 
patriots, who are fighting to-day for freedom and 
independence, just as our own ancestors did in 
1776. To every true American mind the story 
of Cuba, of its weary years of oppression, and of 
its gallant fight for liberty, must be intensely in- 
teresting. Nor can one regard with indifference 
the character and disposition of a people who are 
our own near neighbors, and who may one of 
these days become our fellow-citizens and their 
island a State of the American Union. 

Such record and such portrayal are given in 
this book. The story begins with the discovery 
by Christopher Columbus of what he pronounced 
the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen. 
It leads us through the years of cruel force and 
rapine, when the native inhabitants were all but 
exterminated, and their places filled by alien 
tyrants and imported slaves. The story is told 
of that early loyalty which won for Cuba the 
now strangely-inappropriate name of the Ever 
Faithful Isle ; and the wrongs and oppressions 
which drove the people to revolt and made that 



8 PREFACE. 

name a mockery. A record is given of the 
various uprisings for freedom, of the Ten Years' 
War and its mingled heroism and savage inhu- 
manity, and of the present greater and more 
promising revolution. Moreover, a picture is 
drawn of the island and its people, their manners 
and customs, and all their ways of life. 

To introduce and to commend to public 
notice such a work, must be at once a grateful 
and a most superfluous task. No eulogy could 
be too strong for such a theme. Yet the theme is 
its own best introduction and commendation to 
the reader. Necessarily, it is not yet complete. 
Cuba has not yet fully taken her place among the 
Nations of the world. Yet even as we write 
these lines, the roar of the patriot guns is heard 
within the palaces and fortresses of Havana 
itself, and before the reader has finished the last 
chapter of this book, the last blow may be struck, 
and Cuba may be free. 

Indeed, Cuba must be free ; or must al- 
together perish. There is no middle course. 
In the world-famous siege of Londonderry, when 
the beleaguered inhabitants were dying by hun- 
dreds from plague and famine, when men's eyes 



PREFACE. 9 

had the wolfish glare of maddening hunger in 
them, when all hope of relief seemed dead, and 
there was nothing left but suffering and death, 
the peopled gathered in the cathedral, and before 
the high altar decreed, in the name of God, a 
traitor s death to anyone who should so much as 
speak the word " Surrender." That spirit ani- 
mates the Cubans of to-day. There is a decree 
of the Cuban Government, drawn up in the Ten 
Year's War by Tomas Estrada Palma, and re- 
affirmed in the present war by Jose Marti and 
Maximo Gomez, and promulgated by the Presi- 
dent of the Republic. It declares that any person 
who shall suggest within the Cuban ranks a settle- 
ment of the war on any grounds less than that of 
absolute independence shall be immediately shot 
without a court-martial. Moreover, Article II. of 
the Cuban Constitution explicitly provides that 
'*The treaty of peace with Spain, which must 
necessarily have for its basis the absolute inde- 
pendence of the island of Cuba, must be ratified 
by the Government Council and by an assembly 
of representatives convened expressly for this 
purpose." That is the spirit of the Cuban 
patriots to-day. Literally, it is "Independence or 



lO PREFACE. 

Death!'* In such a struggle, the end cannot be 
doubtful. Cuba ought to be free. Cuba must 
be free. Cuba will be free. 

If the present work might conduce to such 
an end, its mission would be glorious. But if 
it shall do less than that, if it shall serve to make 
its readers better acquainted with that lovely 
island and its brave inhabitants, if it shall pro- 
mote appreciation of their valor, of their patience, 
of their patriotism, if it shall increase American 
sympathy with them in their fight for freedom, 
and make warmer the American welcome which 
shall be given to them when they are at last 
triumphant and their blood-consecrated home 
takes rank among the sisterhood of independent 
States, it will not have been written in vain. 




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Map of Cuba. Frontispiece. 

1. Panorama of Havana 2 

2. Morro Castle, Havana . . . -^^^;i*:^^r^^^^^if£<jb, • • •'9 

3. Boat Landing, Havana . yi^^S . , . ? 6^n^$^. 25 

4. Palace of the Captain-Gen^alr f^vg^^.^-Y ** \i 35 

5. The Cathedral, Havana .U. jl 45 

6. Columbus' Tomb .... ^^^^^gNG^H^^^^^. 55 

7. Columbus Memorial Chapel, Havana ...... 65 

8. The Indian Statue on the Prado, Havana .... 75 

9. Obispo Street, Havana loi 

10. Royal Lottery Ticket Seller, Havana in 

11. Bull Fight, Havana 137 

12. Avenue of Royal Palms, Havana 147 

13. Cuban Family at Home 173 

14. Sugar Plantation, Cuba 183 

15. Execution of a Political Prisoner by the Garrote . . 209 

16. Panorama of Matanzas, Cuba ...219 

17. The Butchery of the Crew of the ''Virginius" — 

Scene at the Slaughter-house the Moment before 
the Execution. Captain Frey bidding his 

Companions Farewell 245 

18. The ^^Virginius" Butchery — Spanish Horsemen 

Trampling the Dead and the Dying Victims 
into the Slaughter-house Trench at Santiago de 

Cuba 255 



1 2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

19. After the Shooting of the Crew of the ** Virginius." 

Negroes of the Chain-gang Tumbling the Dead 
Bodies of the Victims into Mule-carts .... 281 

20. The ^'Virginius" Outrage — Shooting of Four Promi- 

nent Cuban Patriots 291 

21. General D. Valeriano Weyler, Captain-General and 

Spanish Commander-in-Chief in Cuba. , . 317 

22. Maximo Gomez, the Chief of the Insurrection . . 327 

23. General Calixto Garcia 353 

24. General Antonio Maceo 363 

25. Staff Officers of General Maceo 389 

26. Papal Benediction of Spanish Troops leaving Vit- 

toria for Cuba 399 

27. Transport of Troops from Spain 425 

28. Morro Castle, Santiago de Cuba . 435 

29. Battalion of Spanish Troops before the Governor- 

General's Palace, Havana 461 

30. Cubans Fighting from the Tree-tops 471 

31. An Insurgent Attack nearVueltas ........ 497 

32. A Spanish Advanced Post, Outside Remedies . . . 507 




TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Columbus in Cuba — The Second Visit — A Chief's 
Exhortation — Settlement and Slaughter — Las Casas 
and his Work — Extinction of the Natives — De Soto — 
The British Conquest — Progress and Prosperity . . .21 

CHAPTER 11. 

General View of the Island — The Lay of the Land — The 
Climate — Mineral Resources— Animal Life — Vege- 
table Life — Cuban Scenery — A Natural Garden — 
American Visitors to Cuba 39 

CHAPTER III. 

The Industries of Cuba — A Coffee Plantation — Prepar- 
ing Coffee for Market — Havana Cigars — A Cigar 
Factory — Sugar Plantations and Mills — How Sugar 
is Made — Commercial Interests — Some Annoying 
Tricks — A Plucky Captain 60 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Unsavory Harbor — First Impressions of Havana — At 
the Opera — The Lottery — Cathedral and Custom 
House — Danse du Ventre in Cuba — The Bull Ring 
— The Tomb of Columbus — Among the Pawn-Shops 
— A Hard Bargain — Matanzas — A Wonderful Cave 
— A Modern City — Traveling in Cuba — Santiago 
Harbor — A Town of Ancient Dirt — Cuban Rail- 
roads — One Clean Town — A Vile Hotel 91 

(13) 



14 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. 

The People of Cuba— Classes of the People— The 
Women of Cuba — In the Cities — Social Occupa- 
tions — Beggars — Picturesque Scenes — A Thrifty 
Churchman — At a Cuban Hotel — The Rooms and 
their Occupants — The Order of the Day — Among the 
Lepers — The Evening Promenade — The Cigarette — 
Shopping Street Scenes — Cripples — How Cuban 
Ladies Dress — Virtue and Vice — Education, Reli- 
gion, and Literature c . 128 

CHAPTER VI. 

How the Island is Governed — The Captain-General — 
Freedom of the Press — Local Governments — Elec- 
toral Trickery — *'No Cubans Need Apply" — The 
Spanish Senate — Discrimination Against Cubans — 
Carpet-Baggers to the Fore— In the Local Offices — 
Squeezing the Orange — The Awful Burden of 
Debt — Treatment of Native Industry — Bad Com- 
mercial Laws — Cuba Ruined for the Sake of Spain — 
Salaried Carpet-Baggers — Government by Plunder — 
Exposure of Frauds — No Punishment for Rascals — 
No Personal Safety for Cubans — The Paradise of 
Bandits — No Security for Property — Industries 
Driven to Bankruptcy — No Public Instruction — The 
Annual Budget 157 

CHAPTER VII. 

The ^'Ever Faithful Isle" Driven to Revolt — Early 
Patriotism — Spanish Oppression — The Party of 
Reform — Persistent Misrule — A Story of Wrongs — 
Cuba's Material Prosperity — Bourbon Rule — Adding 
Injury to Insult — Early Discontent — Lopez and his 



CONTENTS. 1 5 

Raids — The Killing of Pinto — Notes on Spanish 
Tyranny — Trouble over the Tariff — Suppressing 
Freemasonry — A Characteristic Proclamation — 
Tacon's Administration — Cultivating the Slave 
Trade — Creole Pride >..... 203 

CHAPTER VIIL 

Attitude of the United States toward Cuba — Adams on 
Annexation — Jefferson to Monroe — Views of Henry 
Clay — A British View- — American Interests in Cuba 
— Daniel Webster—The Question of Purchase — An 
Uneasy Feeling in Cuba — Further Discussion of 
Purchase — Later Expressions of Opinion 235 

CHAPTER IX. 

Outbreak of the Ten-Years' War in 1868— The Declara- 
tion of Independence — The Spanish Reply — War 
in Earnest — Proclamation of Freedom — Regular 
Government Formed — Valmaseda's Bloody Orders 
— American Sympathy Expressed — A Special Mes- 
sage. . . 254 

CHAPTER X. 

Savage Methods of Spanish Soldiers^ — Spanish Testimony 
— Meagre News in Havana — A Reign of Cruelty — 
Character of the War — Safety of Havana — The 
Spanish Mistake — Strength of the Patriots — Effects 
of the War upon the Island — -Ruined Towns — Little 
Fighting — Much Destruction — Tactics of the Two 
Armies — The Spaniards Half-Hearted — Slaughter in 
the Five Towns — Outrages upon Women — Atrocities 
of Camp Followers 269 



1 6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XL 

Arrogant Conduct of the Spanish Toward Americans 
and English — The '' Virginius" Outrage — Shooting- 
Four Cuban Patriots — American Citizens Murdered 
in Cold Blood — Wild Demonstrations of Joy — Sur- 
render of the ''Virginius" — The Formal Transfer 
— How an English Captain Prevented One Massacre. 303 

CHAPTER Xn. 

Close of the Ten-Years' War — General Campos* Own 
Story — Communication with the Insurgents — Rebel 
Dissensions — Suspending Warfare — Progress toward 
Peace — Coming to the Point — Campos' Motives — 
Interview with Garcia — An Anxious Moment — At 
Zanzon — The Terms Accepted — The End at Last — 
A Review of the Situation--What the War Meant 
— -How the End was Reached — Campos' Appeal for 
Justice — The Cost of the War 322 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Resentment of the Betrayed Cubans — Trouble with the 
United States — The Case of the " Merritt" — Other 
Outrages — Redress Demanded — Spanish Treachery 
— Blundering as well as Plundering — No Popular 
Liberty — Cuban Appeals for Justice — The Mockery 
of Home Rule — The Final Arraignm.ent — The Ap- 
peal to Arms 350 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Beginning of the Revolution of 1895 — Where the Plot was 
Hatched — Famous Men who Organized the Rebel- 
lion — Arrival of the Leaders in Cuba — How Gomez 



CONTENTS. 1 7 

Reached Cuba — Callejas' Attempts to Secure Peace 
by Heroic Measures — The First Skirmishes — 
Ironical Gratitude — Spread of the Rebellion — Reso- 
lute Spirit of the Patriots — Complaints of the Con- 
sul-General — Tragedies in Cuba 373 

CHAPTER XV, 

Campos to the Rescue — Some Account of * 'Spain's 
Greatest General" — The Man who put the Present 
Dynasty Back upon the Throne — His Departure from 
Madrid and his Arrival in Havana — Expectations of 
a Speedy Crushing of the Revolt 393 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Patriots too much for Campos — Attitude of Other 
Countries — The Insurgents Organize — Who the 
Leaders were — Battle of Sao del Indio — Battle of 
Peralejo — A Spanish Force Wiped Out 408 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Methods of Warfare — The Deadly Machete — A Fearful 
Charge — Sugar-Growers Warned — The Censorship 
— Gomez Calls a Halt — The Cuban Flag — Spanish 
Pursuit — Death of Marti — Horrors of the Garrote. . 418 

CHAPTER XVni. 

Aid and Comfort from Abroad — A Canadian Expedition 
— The *'Horsa" Affair — The Arrest of Captain 
Wiborg — Filibusters Wrecked — Over Goes the 
Ammunition — The ''Bermuda" Affair — A Traitor 
in the Camp — The Arrest — Prisoners Placed Under 
Quard — In Cuba at Last 434 



1 8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The News in Cuba — The New Commander — Weyler's 
Arrival — First Words to Cuba — No Neutrality — Non- 
Combatants Menaced — Call for Surrender — To End 
the War in Thirty Days — The Telegraph Lines — 
Weyler's Proclamations — Must Praise Spain — Pass- 
orts and Credentials — Stores to be Seized — Fate of 
Prisoners — More Troops for Weyler — The Massacre 
of Guatao — Prisoners Killed — Very Near Havana — 
The Towns Deserted — Weyler Calls a Halt — Powers 
of Life and Death — More Proclamations — For 
Extermination — Fifteen Days' Grace — Threats — 
Offer of Amnesty — To Report on the Suspects . . . 449 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Cuban Cause in the United States — Neutrality Pro- 
claimed — Showed American Colors — Senor Palma — 
Appeal for Recognition — A Long Debate — Action 
by Congress 478 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Latest from the Scene of Conflict — The Spanish View 
— Spain's Great Task — Gomez Issues a Manifesto-— . 
Gomez in Santa Clara — Successes of Filibusters — 
Senor Palma's Letter — The Cuban Military Organ- 
ization — The Civil Government — Treatment of 
Prisoners — The Movement Deep-Rooted — The Peti- 
tion for Belligerency 488 



CHAPTER I. 



COLUMBUS IN CUBA — THE SECOND VISIT — A CHIEf's 

EXHORTATION — SETTLEMENT AND SLAUGHTER 

LAS CALAS AND HIS WORK EXTINCTION OF THE 

NATIVES DE SOTO THE BRITISH CONQUEST 

PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY. 



(W 



HE HISTORY of Cuba begins with the 
discovery of the western world by 
Christopher Columbus. It was on Sep- 
tember 25, 1492, that Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
standing on the high quarter deck of the Admi- 
ral's ship, shouted "Land! land ! Senor, I claim 
the reward!" It was on October 12 that land 
was actully reached. And it was on October 28 
that Cuba was discovered. Columbus, as we 
know, was in quest of the fabled Cipango, the 
golden land of the East Indies, where Kublai 
Khan reigned. What he actually first reached 
was one of the Bahamas, called by the natives 
Guanahani. Columbus called it San Salvador, 
and the British have since named it Cat Island. 

Columbus soon discovered the land he had 
reached to be a small island, and accordingly 
set sail for the main land, which he reckoned 

(21) 



22 CUBA. 

to be somewhere near. He passed many beauti- 
ful islands, visiting three of them, and was enrap- 
tured with their loveliness. "I know not," he 
wrote in his diary, ''where first to go. Neither 
are my eyes ever weary of gazing upon the beau- 
tiful verdure. The song of the birds is so sweet 
that it seems as if one would never desire to 
depart hence. There are flocks of parrots that 
obscure the sun, and other birds of many kinds, 
large and small. There are majestic trees of a 
thousand species, each having its particular fruit, 
and all of marvelous flavor." 

These, however, were mere islands. Nor 
did he find on them the gold and gems and 
spices of which he was in quest. But the natives 
told him of a great land lying to the south, which 
they called Cuba. It was, they said, rich in gold 
and pearls and other precious things, and Colum- 
bus felt sure it was the country of the Great 
Khan, of which Marco Polo had written. So he 
pressed on toward it, and on October 28th came 
to its shores. On that day he wrote in his diary: 
''This is the most beautiful land ever beheld by 
human eyes." 

Columbus in Cuba. 

As he approached the island he believed it 
was the main land. He noted with admiration 
its lofty mountains, its deep, clear rivers, its fine 
harbors, and the attractive appearance of all the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 23 

country. Then he cast anchor in the bay of a 
river just west of Nuevitas del Principe, and went 
ashore, taking formal possession of the land in 
the name of Spain. He spent many days in 
exploring the coast, landing here and there and 
visiting the native villages. The inhabitants 
were a race of Indians of gentle demeanor. 
They lived in a state of happy tranquillity among 
themselves, and possessed a religion devoid 
of rites and ceremonies, but inculcating a belief 
in the existence of a great and beneficent Deity 
and in the immortality of the soul. 

Columbus went along the coast toward the 
northwest, until he reached a great headland 
which he called the Cape of Palms. Beyond 
this he was told there was a river up which it was 
only four days' journey to *' Cubanacan." By 
this the natives meant merely the interior of the 
island. But Columbus thought they meant the 
land of Kublai Khan, and was thus convinced 
that he was at last on the main land of Asia, near 
the rich realms of Cathay. He accordingly sent 
an embassy into the interior, to visit the Prince 
who ruled over those regions. The embassadors 
returned to the ship, however, after going inland 
twelve leagues, and reported that they had found 
no city and no prince and nothing but Indian 
villages. Neither did they find any gold. But 
they observed that the natives practiced a curious 



24 CUBA. 

habit, of rolling up the dried leaves of a certain 
herb, setting fire to one end of the roll, putting 
the other end in their mouths, and alternately 
inhaling and puffing out the smoke. Such a roll 
they called a tobacco. The Spaniards were 
astonished at this strange practice, but soon 
found it pleasant and themselves adopted it, 
calling the plant from which the rolls were made 
by the name which the Indians gave to the roll 
itself. 

The explorer was disappointed in not finding 
the Court of Kublai Khan, and now turned to the 
east and south, and after some days sailing he 
reached the end of the island, now known as 
Cape Maysi. Supposing it to be the extreme 
end of the Asian continent, he called it Alpha and 
Omega, the Beginning and the End, and then set 
sail for Hayti. 

Xlie Second Visit. 

Columbus's second voyage was directed to 
the further exploration of Cuba, which he still 
believed to be the Asian continent. He reached 
Cape Maysi on April 29, 1494, and proceeded 
along the southern coast. Here and there he 
put in at harbors, and inquired of the natives for 
the land of gold. They all directed him to the 
southwest, telling him another great land lay 
there, rich in gold and gems. Doubtless they 
meant the South American continent. So, on 



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FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 27 

May 3, Columbus turned thither, but discovered 
nothing but the Island of Jamaica, and on May i8 
he returned to Cuba. He arrived at a great cape, 
to which he gave the name of Cabo de la Cruz or 
Cape of the Cross, by which it is still known. 
Then he ran into a beautiful archipelago and 
called it the Queen's Garden. Every day re- 
vealed new beauties of land and sea. The delighted 
voyager believed that he had surely reached 
*' Summer Isles of Eden, lying in dark purple 
spheres of sea." 

League after league he sailed along the coast 
toward the west, more and more convinced that 
he had found the land of the Great Khan. He 
proposed to keep on and circumnavigate the 
globe, returning by way of Africa. But his ships 
were out of repair and his crews weary, so at last 
he had reluctantly to turn back. Before he did 
so he had every one of his officers and men sign 
a declaration of their belief that Cuba was the 
western extremity of the continent of Asia. This 
was done while the ships lay in the Bay of Cortes, 
or Bay of Phillipina. If only some one had taken 
the trouble at that time to climb to the mast-head, 
he might have seen the open sea to the northward 
of the island and thus have discovered that Cuba 
was nothing but an island. Or had Columbus 
kept on for two or three days more, he would 
have reached the western end of the island and 



28 CUBA. 

thus have learned what it really was. Instead, 

he returned to Spain still cherishing his delusion. 

A CtiiePs Hxliortatioti. 

His last landing was made in Cuba on July 7. 
At the mouth of a fine river he set up a cross 
and had the service of the Mass performed. 
Among the Indians who looked on at this cere- 
mony in mute amazement was one venerable chief 
who at the end of the ceremony said to Colum- 
bus : ''I am told that you have come to this 
country with a mighty force and have subdued 
many lands, spreading great fear among the 
people. But do not therefore be vainglorious. 
Remember that, according to our belief, the souls 
of men have two journeys to perform after they 
have departed from the body. One is to a place 
that is dismal, foul, and covered with darkness, 
prepared for those who have been unjust and 
cruel to their fellow-men. The other is to a place 
full of delight and beauty, for those who have 
promoted peace on earth. Therefore if you are 
mortal and expect to die, see to it that you hurt 
no man wrongfully nor do harm to those who 
have done no harm to you." 

A third short visit was made by Columbus 
to the southern shores of Cuba at the end of May, 
1503, and that concluded his adventures in that 
island. In 151 1 his son, Diego Columbus, for the 
purpose of colonizing the island, fitted out an 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 29 

expedition, consisting of more than three hun- 
dred men, under Diego Velasquez, who had 
accompanied his father on his second voyage. 
Their first settlement was Baracoa, and in 15 14 
they founded Santiago and Trinidad. In July, 
15 15, was planted a town called San Cristoval de 
la Havana, which was in 15 19 named Batabano, 
and its original title transferred to the present 
capital of the island. The island itself, by the 
way, was first named by Columbus Juana, in 
honor of Prince John, son of Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella. After Ferdinand's death it was re-named 
Fernandina. Next it was designated Santiago, 
for the patron saint of Spain. Still later it was 
called Ave Maria, in honor of the Holy Virgin. 
Finally it was called Cuba, that being the name 
by which it was known among the natives at the 
time of its discovery. 

Settlement and Slaus:liter. 

As we have said the conquest of the island 
was seriously undertaken in 151 1. The expedi- 
tion was organized in San Domingo, under the 
command of Diego Velasquez and numbered 
more than three hundred men. Among them was 
Hernando Cortez, the future conqueror of Mexico. 
There also was the celebrated Bartolome Las 
Casas, known as the Apostle to the Indies. 

The harsh and brutal treatment imposed by 
the Spaniards upon the Indians in San Domingo 



30 CUBA. 

had caused many of the latter to cross over to 
Cuba, where they expected to Hve in security and 
peace. Among these was the famous chief, 
Hatuey, whose name stands upon the pages of 
history as a monument of courage and patriotism 
in the face of Spanish ferocity and cruelty. As 
soon as he learned that the Spaniards had landed 
in Cuba, Hatuey collected his warriors and pro- 
ceeded to oppose the invaders. But the struggle 
was a useless one and hopeless from the outset. 
The weapons of the Indians consisted of arrows 
pointed with fishbones and of clubs, the ends of 
which were hardened by fire, while the Spaniards, 
besides protecting their bodies with heavy cloth- 
ing which the weak points of the Indian arrows 
could scarcely penetrate, were provided with ex- 
cellent swords, powerful cross-bows, some fire- 
arms and a few horses. After several encounters 
Hatuey fell into the hands of the Spaniards and 
was condemned by Velasquez to be burned at 
the stake. When he was already tied to the 
stake, and the fagots were about to be lighted, 
the chief was approached by a priest who began 
to pray that his soul might be taken to heaven. 
Hearing this, Hatuey asked to which of the two 
places the Spaniards would go when they died. 
He was told that they would all certainly go to 
heaven. ''Then," he exclaimed, resolutely, "let 
me go to hell !" 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 3 1 

Iras Casas and His l^ork. 

Las Casas, whom we have already mentioned, 
was the son of one of the companions of Colum- 
bus on his first voyage of discovery to the new 
world. In 1498 he accompanied his father in an 
expedition under Columbus to the West Indies, 
and in 1502 he went to Hayti, where he was 
admitted to priestly orders, being the first person 
to receive such consecration in the new world. 
In 151 1, the conquest of Cuba having been re- 
solved on, he went to that island to take part in 
the work of ''population and pacification." He 
witnessed and vainly tried to check the terrible 
massacres of Indians w^hich Velasquez soon per- 
petrated. A year or two later there was assigned 
to him a large village in the neighborhood of 
Xagua, inhabited by many Indians, as his share 
of the new colony. Here, like the rest of his 
countrymen, he sought to make the most of his 
opportunity of growing rich, though he continued 
occasionally to preach and celebrate Mass. Soon, 
however, having become deeply convinced of the 
injustice and other moral evils of the system of 
rule adopted by the Spaniards, he began to 
preach against it, at the same time giving up his 
own slaves. Then he went to Spain to speak in 
behalf of the oppressed natives, and the result 
of his representations was that in 15 16 Cardinal 
Jimenez sent over a commission for the reform 



32 CUBA. 

of abuses — Las Casas himself, with a salary and 
the title of '' Protector of the Indians," being ap- 
pointed a member of it. He soon found, how- 
ever, that the other members of the commission 
were altogether indifferent to the cause which he 
had so much at heart and he accordingly returned 
to Spain where he developed his scheme for the 
complete liberation of the Indians. This scheme 
not only included facilities for emigration from 
Spain, but was intended to give to each Spanish 
resident in the colonies the right of importing 
twelve negro slaves. The emigration movement 
proved a failure, and Las Casas lived long enough 
to express his sorrow and shame for having been 
so slow to perceive that the African negroes were 
as much entitled to the rights of man as were the 
American Indians. 

Hxtinction of tlie Natives. 
Velasquez was thus the founder of Indian slav- 
ery, and Las Casas of negro slavery, in America. 
The Indians who were not distributed among the 
Spaniards as slaves were compelled to pay a 
tribute in gold dust, and as gold never abounded 
in Cuba this was a difficult thing to do. Although 
the Indians were physically well developed, they 
were not accustomed to continuous and hard 
labor. The tasks imposed upon them by their 
ruthless Spanish masters caused so great a mor- 
tality that in about half a century the whole native 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 2>3 

population of the island had disappeared. Some 
of the estimates placed the number of inhabitants 
of the country originally at 800,000. Others 
place it at no more than 400,000. But even tak- 
ing the latter figure as correct, what a frightful 
destruction of human life there was in a few 
years ! 

The discovery and conquest of Mexico and 
Peru, with their immense wealth, caused the 
Spanish to look upon Cuba with indifference, and 
for nearly 300 years it was almost forgotten. 
Nothing but the geographical position of Havana 
saved the island from utter neglect and oblivion 
in Spain. It was a convenient stopping-place for 
ships plying between Spain and the American 
continent, but so little was known in Spain about 
Cuba that not infrequently, even as late as the 
latter part of the last century, official dispatches 
were addressed to the Island of Havana. Even 
after the country was yielding to the Spanish 
treasury millions of dollars of revenue every 
year, the Spaniards remained so ignorant about 
Cuban matters that in the laws enacted for Cuba 
at Madrid in 1856 a reward was offered for the 
killing of '' foxes, ferrets, wolves and other wild 
beasts of prey." Of such animals not a trace had 
ever been discovered in the island. The only 
wolves and other wild beasts of prey known to 
the Cubans have been the Spanish office-holders. 



34 CUBA. 

De Soto. 

Havana was frequently attacked by the ships 
of powers hostile to Spain. In 1538 it was 
almost entirely destroyed by a French privateer. 
To prevent a similar disaster in future the Castillo 
de la Fuerza, a fortress which still exists, was 
built by Fernando de Soto, who was then Gover- 
nor of Cuba. This was the same de Soto who 
afterward became famous for his explorations in 
the southern and western regions of the United 
States and for the discovery of the Mississippi 
River. When he went on his last expedition to 
North America, on which he lost his life, he left 
his wife and family behind him at Havana, where 
his wife died of a broken heart three days after 
receiving news of his death. 

Xhe Britisli Conquest. 

Despite this fortress, in 1554, the French 
again attacked and partly destroyed Havana. The 
early settlers of Cuba devoted themselves chiefly 
to the rearing of cattle, but about 1580 the 
cultivation of tobacco and the sugar cane was 
commenced, and this led to a vast development 
of the system of negro slavery. Previous to 
1 600 two more forts were built for the defence of 
Havana. These were the Punta and the Morro 
Castle, which are still in existence. For a century 
and a half after this date the island was kept in a 
state of almost perpetual fear of invasion from the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 2>1 

French, English, Dutch, and other raiders. It 
also suffered much from the pirates and freeboot- 
ers who infested those seas. About 1665 the 
building of strong walls around the city was 
commenced. In 1762 Havana was captured after 
a desperate struggle by an English fleet and army 
under Lord Albemarle. The fleet consisted of 
more than two hundred vessels of all classes 
manned by more than fourteen thousand men, 
while the Spanish army of defense numbered 
more than twenty-seven thousand. The assault 
began on June 6th. On July 30th Morro Castle 
was surrendered, and on August 14th the city 
itself capitulated. The spoil divided among the 
conquerors amounted to more than $3,600,000. 
By a treaty concluded at Paris in the following 
year Cuba was restored to the Spaniards and 
thereafter its progress was rapid. Indeed, that 
was the beginning of the island's real importance 
and prosperity. 

Progrress and Prosperity. 
Another Las Casas arrived in 1790 as Cap- 
tain-General of the island and his administration 
was a brilliant time in the history of Cuba. He 
promoted with indefatigable perseverance a great 
and useful series of public works. He also intro- 
duced the culture of indigo, which became an 
important industry. He extended the commer- 
cial importance of the island by removing as far 



38 CUBA. 

as possible the trammels imposed upon it by the 
old system of monopoly, and also made noble 
efforts for the emancipation of the slaves. It was 
owing to his wise administration that the island 
remained peaceful during the time of the revolu- 
tion in Hayti, although the latter was closely 
watched by the negroes in Cuba and a con- 
spiracy for revolt was actually formed among 
them by French agents. Many of the French 
who were driven out of Hayti by the negro revo- 
lutionists came to Cuba in 1795 and settled there. 
The news that Napoleon had deposed the 
royal family of Spain reached Cuba in July, 1808. 
It caused great excitement and aroused much 
patriotic enthusiasm. All the officers of the 
island at once took oath to preserve Cuba for the 
deposed sovereign and declared war against 
Napoleon. It was partly from this fact, and 
partly from the fact that it remained loyal to Spain 
when, a dozen years later, all the South American 
colonies revolted, that Cuba received the name of 
-The Ever Faithful Isle." 




CHAPTER II. 



GENERAL VIEW OF THE ISLAND THE LAY OF THE 

LAND THE CLIMATE MINERAL RESOURCES 

ANIMAL LIFE VEGETABLE LIFE CUBAN SCE- 
NERY A NATURAL GARDEN AMERICAN VISI- 
TORS TO CUBA. 




UBA EXTENDS from Cape Maysi, on 
the east, to Cape St. Antonio, on the 
west, in a curved Hne of 790 miles. It 
lies between 19° and 23° north latitude, and 74° 
and 85° west longitude. It is 117 miles wide in 
the broadest part ; from Cape Maternillos point 
on the north, to the western point of Mota 
Cove, on the south twenty-one miles east of 
Cape Cruz — the Cape of the Cross. 

The narrowest part of the Island is twenty- 
two miles, from the mouth of Bahia del Mariel, 
on the north of Cove of Havana on the south. 
From Havana to Batabano, it is twenty-eight 
miles ; near the centre of the Island, the breadth 
north and south is about seventy-five miles. 
The periphery of the Island, following a line the 
less tortuous and cutting the bays, parts and 
coasts at their mouths, is 1,719 miles, of which 

(39) 



40 CUBA. 

8i6 are on the north and 903 on the south. Its 
area is about 55,000 square miles ; and taking 
into the estimate the adjacent islands, or keys 
which belong to it, it is 64,000 square miles. The 
form of the Island is exceedingly irregular, ap- 
proaching that of a long, narrow crescent, the 
convex portion of which looks toward the Arctic 
pole. Her situation in regard to that pole is 
nearly from east by south to west by north- 
west. It is the most westerly of the West India 
Islands, and the western part is placed advantage- 
ously in the mouth of the Mexican gulf, leaving 
two spacious entrances ; the one of the north- 
west, 124 miles wide, between Point Hicacos, the 
most northerly of the Island, and Point Tancha, 
or Cape Sable, the most southerly of East 
Florida. The other entrance into the Gulf to 
the southwest, is 97 miles in its narrowest part, 
between Cape St. Antonio, of Cuba, and Cape 
Catoche, the most salient extremity of the Penin- 
sula of Yucatan ; from Cape Mola, or St. Nicho- 
las, in the Island of St. Domii go, the eastern 
extremity of Cuba, or Maysi Point, is separated 
by a channel forty-two miles wide. From Maysi 
to Great Enagua, the nearest of the Lucayas, or 
Bahama Islands, the distance to the northeast is 
forty-five miles. From Point Lucrecia, in Cuba, 
the most easterly point of the great bank of 
Bahama, in the old Bahama Channel, called St. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 4 1 

Domingo's key, thirty-four miles. From Punto 
del Ingles, on the South of Cuba, to the nearest 
point of the northern coast of Jamaica, the dis- 
tance is seventy-five miles. 

Cuba contains the following ports on the 
North, viz. : Guardiana, Bahia Honda, Cabana, 
Mariel, Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua la 
Grande, San Juan de los Remedios, Guanaja, 
Nuevitas, Nuevas Grandes, Manati Puerto del 
Padre, Puerto del Mangle, Jibara, Jururu, Bariai, 
Vita, Naranjo, Salma Banes, Nipe, Leviza Cabo- 
nico, Tanamo, Cebollas, Zaquaneque, Zaragua, 
Taco, Cuyaguaneque Navas, Maravi, Baracoa and 
Manta — thirty-seven in all. On the South, Bati- 
queri, Puerto Escondido, Guantanamo, Santiago 
de Cuba, Mota, Manzanillo, Santa Cruz, Ver- 
tientes, Masio, Casilda, Jagua, Ensenada de Cor- 
tez and Ensenada de Cochinos — thirteen in all. 
Xlie I^ay of tlie I^and. 
Low as the coast lands are, the island is 
plentifully supplied with hills and mountains. 
The highest part of the island is in the southeast 
portion, the loftiest peaks here reaching a height 
of more than 7,600 feet. From these mountains 
a ridge of somewhat less general elevation follows 
closely to the central line of the island westward, 
rising to a height of 2,530 feet at the extreme 
west. A considerable group of hills also rises 
immediately behind the harbor of Trinidad, near 
3 



42 CUBA. 

the centre of the southern coast. The summits 
of the mountains are mostly rocky and naked, 
though occasionally smooth and covered with soil 
and vegetation. The internal structures of the 
mountains consist of chalk, limestone, sandstone, 
and gypsum. There are also numerous masses 
of serpentine and syenitic rocks. In some places 
petroleum is found in considerable quantities 
among the serpentine, and abundant springs of 
the same oil are also found in the eastern part of 
the island. 

The rivers of Cuba are necessarily short, and 
their course is generally toward the north or 
south. The largest is the Cauto, which is about 
150 miles long, and navigable for sixty miles. 
Several others are navigable for from five to fifteen 
miles each. At the northeast of Guantanamo is 
the hill of Moa, in which is a huge cavern, and in 
that cavern the river Moa descends in a superb 
cascade more than 300 feet high. 
Xlie Climate. 

Cuba Hes near the northern edge of the 
tropical zone and its climate is therefore largely 
torrid. On the high ground of the interior, how- 
ever, it is fairly temperate. As in other tropical 
and semi-tropical countries, the year is divided 
into two seasons, known as the wet and the dry, 
the former being the hotter of the two. The wet 
season extends from May to October, although 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. . 43 

rain falls In every month of the year. Spring 
begins in May, and thenceforward thunder storms 
are of almost daily occurrence until fall. Almost 
every day is exceedingly warm except on the 
mountain-tops. From November to April is the 
dry season, when the temperature is somewhat 
more moderate. The average rainfall at Havana 
in the wet season is about 27 8-10 inches and in 
the dry season 12 7-10 inches, making a total of 
40 5-10 inches for the year. At Havana in July 
and August the average temperature is 82° Fah- 
renheit, varying between a maximum of SS° and 
a minimum of 76°. In December and January 
the maximum is yS° and the minimum 58°, the 
average being 72°. The average temperature at 
Havana the year round is yy°. In the interior of 
the Island, at elevations more than 300 feet above 
the sea, the mercury occasionally falls to the 
freezing point in winter. Light frosts are not 
uncommon and thin ice is sometimes formed. 
Snow, however, is never known to fall in the 
Island. The prevailing wind is from the east, but 
from November to February the north wind occa- 
sionally blows for not more than two days at a 
time, especially in the western part of the island. 
As a rule the hottest hours in the day are from 
ten o'clock to noon. In the afternoon a refresh- 
ing breeze almost always sets in from the sea. 
From August to October is the hurricane season. 



44 CUBA. 

These storms are sometimes extremely severe 
and destructive, though not so much so as in other 
West Indian Islands. Sometimes five or six years 
pass without a single hurricane. Earthquake 
shocks are occasionally felt, but are seldom so 
severe as to be destructive. 

No serious diseases are known to be in- 
digenous to the island. Yellow fever, which 
rages every year on all the coast lands, was im- 
ported many years ago by vessels engaged in 
the slave trade. It is probable that its contin- 
uance and annual recurrence has been due to the 
indescribably foul condition of the harbors, espec- 
ially that of Havana. This plague causes great 
loss of life every year, especially among visitors 
and naturalized residents of the island. It attacks 
comparatively few of the natives and its ravages 
are exclusively confined to the lowlands along 
the coast. 

Mineral Resources. 

The mineral resources of the island have not 
yet been developed nor even explored to any 
considerable extent. Gold and silver have, un- 
doubtedly, been found on the island in various 
places, but never in quantities sufficient to pay 
for the working of mines. The early settlers 
sent gold to Spain from the island, but they 
obtained it from the aborigines who had accu- 
mulated it for centuries and had probably im- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 47 

ported it from other islands and from Mexico and 
the South American continent. Traces of gold- 
bearing sand are found in several of the rivers, 
and attempts have been made at two or three 
places to secure the metal in paying quantities, 
but without success. Early in the present cen- 
tury silver and copper were discovered in the 
Province of Villa Clara, and some of the first ores 
found yielded no less than seven ounces of pure 
silver to the quintal, a quintal being 107^ 
pounds. The mines have never been properly 
worked, however, and thus have been regarded 
as unprofitable. Near Santiago, in the eastern 
part of the island, are some copper mines of 
great extent and richness. A considerable town 
has grown up about them and a railroad has 
been built to carry their product to the sea. 
More than fifty tons of very rich ore have been 
taken out daily, the best of it being shipped direct 
to Europe for reduction. The poorer part of it 
is retained and smelted on the island. These 
mines were worked with considerable success 
during the seventeenth century, but during the 
eighteenth century were entirely neglected. 

Coal is found in almost inexhaustible quanti- 
ties. It is of a highly bituminous character, giv- 
ing out much heat, and leaving very little ashes 
or cinders. In some places it degenerates into 
semi-liquid form, resembling asphaltum, and in 



48 CUBA. 

some places naphtha or petroleum. There are ex- 
cellent quarries of slate near Havana, the product 
of which is used for floors and pavements. In 
many parts of the island of Cuba, and more par- 
ticularly in the Isle of Pines, marble and jasper, 
of various colors and fine quality, are found. Iron 
is believed to exist in considerable quantities, es- 
pecially among the highest mountain peaks, but 
because of the difficulty of access, the scarcity of 
fuel, the want of capital, and perhaps, above all, 
lack of enterprise and energy, no considerable 
mining operations have ever been undertaken. 
Animal I<ife. 

The aboriginal animal life of Cuba varied but 
little from that of other islands. Savage wild 
beasts were unknown. The only quadruped pe- 
culiar to the island is the hutia. This is an 
animal somewhat resembling a rat in form, and 
from twelve to eighteen inches in length, exclusive 
of the tail. It is pure black in color, lives among 
trees, and feeds on leaves and fruit. Its flesh is 
sometimes used as an article of diet. A few deer 
have been found in various parts of the island, 
but they are supposed to have been introduced 
from Florida. Plenty of wild dogs and cats are 
found in the woods, but they are merely the de- 
generate descendants of tame creatures. 

The chief domestic animals are the ox, the 
horse, and the pig, and these form a large pro- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 49 

portion of the wealth of the island. Sheep, goats 
and mules are less numerous. The manatee is 
found along the coasts, but no attempt has ever 
been made to domesticate it. Domestic fowls in- 
clude geese, turkeys, peacocks and pigeons. The 
wild birds are notable for the beauty of their 
plumage, and more than 200 different species are 
found on the island. There are very few birds of 
prey. The principal ones are the vulture and the 
turkey buzzard, and these are protected from 
destruction by law, on account of their services 
as scavengers. The waters in and about the 
island are plentifully supplied with fish. Oysters 
and other shell fish also abound, but are of infe- 
rior quality. Numerous turtles are found on the 
coast and reefs, some of them attaining enormous 
size. They and their eggs form an important 
article of diet. Crocodiles and enormous lizards 
are common. Land-crabs are frequently seen in 
large numbers. These cross the island from north 
to south every spring, at the beginning of the 
rainy season. There are comparatively few snakes. 
The largest is the maja, which attains a length of 
twelve or fourteen feet, but is quite harmless. 
The most venomous snake is the juba, which 
grows to a length of about six feet. 

Among the insect life of Cuba the most no- 
table creature is the firefly. These flies are very 
large and luminous and exist in enormous num- 



50 CUBA. 

bers. The}^ are much used among the poorer 
people instead of lamps or candles. A dozen or 
more of them confined in a bottle or even an 
empty gourd pierced with holes will serve to illu- 
minate a room fairly well. Bees are exceedingly 
abundant throughout the island. The poisonous 
insects are the jigger, one species of ant, the 
mosquito, the sandfly, the scorpion, and spiders. 
Vegfetable I^ife. 

A considerable portion of the area of Cuba 
is covered with forests, some of them being so 
dense as to be almost impenetrable. It was 
estimated a few years ago that of nearly 20,000,- 
000 acres of land still remaining wild and uncul- 
tivated, about 13,000,000 were covered with 
uncleared forest. Among the valuable woods 
are mahogany, ebony, cedar and grandilla. 
These are valuable for manufactures, cabinet 
work and ship-building, and form a considerable 
article of export. The most valuable tree on the 
island, however, is the palm, which abounds 
everywhere. 

The fruits and vegetables of Cuba are such 
as are found elsewhere in the tropics. Most 
esteemed of all are the banana and plantain, the 
pineapple, the orange and the cocoa. The sweet- 
and-bitter cassava, the sweet potato, or yam, and 
other farinaceous roots are common, and Indian 
corn and rice are extensively cultivated. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 5 I 

Cuban Scenery. 

Travelers coming to Cuba for the first time 
usually see what they have expected to see, and 
fall temporarily into ecstasies over tropical scen- 
ery and semi-saracenic architectural effects. It is 
Imagination fired by overheated books of travel 
that lends to the view greater enchantment than 
distance in a foreign land. When the eye becomes 
accustomed to the contrasts with familiar scenes 
offered in town and country, disenchantment 
quickly follows. Then the truth Is discerned that 
the woods, foliage, plants, flowers, landscape ef- 
fects and suburban drives are incomparably more 
beautiful in the temperate zone than in the tropics. 
Raptures over Cuban scenery are transitory va- 
garies In Havana. The harbor, with a long line 
of high-bastioned fortifications flanking the low 
peninsula upon which the city stands, is an impos- 
ing pageant, especially under a moonlit sky ; but 
the country about the city is flat and unimpressive. 
A railway ride across the island from Batabano, 
or westward to Matanzas, discloses vistas of 
undulating levels and moors under poor cultiva- 
tion, relieved only by sentinel palms of the royal 
guard, or by encampments of palmettos, or by 
straggling cabins with palm-leaf roofs. The plazas 
have an ill-nourished and stunted look. The 
Bishop's Garden in Tulipan was once a lovely re- 
treat, but It Is now neglected ground. 



52 CUBA. 

The finest drives In Havana are those to the 
Cerro and to Vedado, but there are few luxuriant 
tropical trees to be seen by the wayside, and not 
many orange trees and banana clumps. The 
Botanical Gardens and the grounds about the 
Captain-General's country seat offer the only 
really satisfactory glimpse of tropical foliage to 
be obtained in Havana. There is a noble alley 
of royal palms ; they are fine specimens of the 
gorgeous fan-palm, almonds, the coral tree and 
the star cactus ; low-growing flowers of the 
temperate clime are here seen as trees, such as 
the mignonette and garland of the night ; and 
there are roses, campaniles, jasmine, oleanders, 
heliotrope and exotic flowers in profusion. On 
the Marinao Railway there are some excellent 
effects of rural scenery. The Toledo sugar 
plantation lies in a district where palmettos and 
cocoanut palms abound, and near by are pine- 
apple plantations, with laborers' cabins constructed 
entirely of palm, and overshadowed by wide- 
spreading mangoes — the best substitute to be 
found In the tropics for the Northern oak and 

elm. 

A Xatural Garden. 

If Cuban scenery be disappointing from 
nakedness of hillsides and lack of variety in 
foliage and farming lands. It Is not through any 
fault of Nature. There Is no other garden In the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 53 

West Indies like this highly favored island. There 
is no defect either of climate or soil. It is human 
foolishness that is responsible for the meagre de- 
velopment of the agricultural resources of the 
island. Every fruit that can grow in the tropics 
will thrive here. Not even Southern California 
has a wider range of fruits than Cuba, with its 
oranges, pineapples, lemons, limes, citrons, ban- 
anas, plantains, tamarinds, figs, breadfruit, pome- 
granates, zapotas, mangoes, cocoanuts, sapodillas, 
custard-apples, mammees, guava and rose-apples. 
It is a fruit region, capable of enormous develop- 
ment, and is accessible to all the centres of popu- 
lation on the North Atlantic coast. Here is a 
soil of varied qualities and so rich that it only 
needs to be scratched with a plough or hoe to be 
made to yield a hundred-fold. There is an abund- 
ance of red earth impregnated with iron, which is 
the natural bed for a coffee farm. There are 
broad levels of black soil, where sugar-cane will 
flourish as in no other quarter of the world. If 
the choicest lands for tobacco are of limited area 
on the plain watered by the Cuyagnetejo, there 
are most extensive belts where leaf of fine color 
can be raised. Corn, while growing to half-size, 
can be made to bear all the year. There are rice 
and cotton lands which could be cultivated on a 
large scale most productively. There is no limit 
to the agricultural resources of Cuba. The track- 



54 CUBA. 

less forests are rich, not only in mahogany, rose- 
wood, ebony and cedar, but also in dye-woods, 
like fustian ; and in the south and east the moun- 
tain ranges are stocked with iron and manganese. 
All these resources are made available by undu- 
lating plains, where railways can be cheaply built 
and by a coast-line of 2,000 miles, bordered with 
capacious harbors for shipping. 

American Visitors in Cuba. 
Mr. Froude, when he visited Cuba a few years 
ago, described the island as a riviera for Ameri- 
can tourists. Having a strong dislike for that 
particular breed of the Anglo-Saxon race, he was 
harassed by their high nasal volubility and dis- 
tracted by the unceasing piano-playing of the 
women, and by the free manners and abrupt in- 
quisltiveness of the men, one of whom had the 
hardihood to solicit a moment after introduction 
his opinion of Cardinal Newman. Finding no 
rest day or night from the American invaders, he 
was compelled to take refuge in a French sum- 
mer hotel at Vedado, where he could listen to 
the music of the breakers on the coral reefs. 
Mr. Froude's diatribe against American tour- 
ists has not had the effect of checking the mi- 
gratory movement during the winter months, 
although, possibly, it may have corrected their 
manners. From the east, west, and south they 
come in increasing swarms every season. The 




Columbus* Tomb, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 57 

Steamers are crowded with incoming travelers 
bent upon seeing a civilization essentially differ- 
ent from their own, and enjoying themselves 
heartily while they are about it. 

'' During my stay in Cuba," says an Ameri- 
can correspondent, "I have met with Americans 
from Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New 
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, Ken- 
tucky, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and some of the 
far Western States. The native Cuban makes 
no discrimination, but accepts them all without 
reference to State, section or social condition, as 
fair game to be bagged and more or less plucked. 
Whether an Englishman having a less sensitive 
organization than Mr. Froude's is dazed and well- 
nigh crazed by the visitors, I cannot determine ; 
but I find it hard to believe that either the wildest 
piano outbreak or the shrillest Yankee dialect 
can be heard above the ceaseless clangor of the 
Havana church bells and the fusilade of chatter 
in the Spanish cafes. 

''The journey to Cuba is perhaps the pleas- 
antest and most interesting short outing which 
Americans can make during the winter. Those 
who dread sea-sickness can reduce the risks to a 
voyage of twenty-four hours by going and return- 
ing by the Tampa steamers. The best route from 
New York is by the steamers, either by the direct 
line to Havana or by the Nassau and Southern 



58 CUBA. 

Coast line. To tourists desirinor to see as much 
of Cuba as possible in three weeks or a month, 
the latter route offers superior attractions. A 
delightful day can be spent in Nassau ; the high 
mountainous coast of Eastern and Southern Cuba 
is a most beautiful one ; Santiago Harbor is one 
of the most picturesque bays on the continent, 
rivalling in some degree that of Rio ; and Cien- 
fuegos is the commercial centre of the best 
equipped sugar plantation in the island. 
American visitors are spared all the incon- 
veniences of want of familiarity with the Spanish 
language. At the hotels in Cienfuegos inter- 
preters are at hand to order their meals and 
carriages, to conduct them to the sugar plantations 
and to minister to their wants most intelligently. 
When they are ready to go, runners from the 
Havana hotels take charge of their baggage and 
convey them either by railway or steamer. The 
water route to Batabano is the better one, owing 
to the frequent changes of cars which must be 
made on the railway through the interior. Once 
in Havana the visitor finds a swarm of fellow- 
Americans, among whom he is certain to meet 
with acquaintances to his taste. The principal 
hotel employs three Interpreters to make plain 
the crookedness of Cuban currency, to defend 
travelers against the extortions of hackmen, and 
to plan excursions to Matanzas, the caves of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 59 

Bellamar, the sugar plantation of Toledo, the 
tobacco estates of Western Cuba, palmetto groves 
and pineapple farms and other points of interest. 
There are at least two hotels in Havana where 
excellent breakfasts and dinners are served ; and 
there are English waiters in attendance for those 
who need them. The sanitary conditions of the 
hotels are not good, and great care has to be 
taken in the choice of rooms. This would be a 
very serious drawback if the winter months were 
not healthful in Cuba. The climate in January is 
perfect. It is warm without being either hot or 
sultry, and the evenings are so cool as to make a 
light overcoat necessary. If the hotel charges are 
high, hack-fare is low; and American gold or cur- 
rency commands so great a premium that the 
traveler is encouraged to think himself rich until 
the desire to clear his pockets of the foulest and 
most ragged paper money ever printed seizes 
possession of him, as it does as soon as he con- 
cludes his first transaction with the brokers." 




CHAPTER III. 



THE INDUSTRIES OF CUBA — A COFFEE PLANTATION 

PREPARING COFFEE FOR MARKET HAVANA 

CIGARS A CIGAR FACTORY SUGAR PLANTA- 
TIONS AND MILLS HOW SUGAR IS MADE COM- 
MERCIAL INTERESTS SOME ANNOYING TRICKS 

A PLUCKY CAPTAIN. 



/?dk HE PRINCIPAL agricultural products 
\^^^ of Cuba are sugar, coffee and tobacco. 
In former years indigo was extensively 
cultivated, but that industry has greatly declined. 
The sugar industry has also been injured by the 
development of beet sugar production in various 
Other countries. Still, the sugar plantations and 
mills, which include both refineries and distilleries 
for the production of rum, are the most important 
industrial establishments of the island. The bulk 
of the sugar is shipped to the United States. 
Next in importance is the coffee industry, which 
was established in 1748, the seeds having been 
brought from San Domingo. Tobacco is indig- 
enous to Cuba, and is famous over the world for 
its fine quality. Hundreds of millions of cigars 
are exported every year, beside many million 
pounds of leaf tobacco. 

(60) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 6 1 

The Other Industries of Cuba comprise 
cattle farms, cotton plantations, fruit and vege- 
table farms, chocolate plantations, and bee farms, 
devoted to the production of honey and wax. 
Generally speaking, It may be said that these 
industries have been conducted in a rather slip- 
shod manner. The best establishments are now 
those conducted by Americans, largely with 
Chinese labor. At the same time, contact with 
American progress has considerably improved 
the character and disposition of the natives, and 
under a proper government the industrial condi- 
tion of the island would be vastly improved, and 
would contain a considerable measure of that 
prosperity for which nature evidently designed 
it. The saying that " if you tickle the earth with 
a hoe It laughs with a harvest" Is to no country 
more applicable than to Cuba. 

Four centuries have been nearly rounded out 
since the discoveries of Columbus, yet Cuba to-day 
Is, with the single exception of Brazil, the least- 
developed country In the New World. Out of a 
total area of 43,000 square miles barely more 
than one-tenth Is under cultivation. At the west- 
ern end of the Island there Is a population exceed- 
ing 1,000,000, but the remaining districts, of which 
Puerto Principe and Santiago are the capitals, are 
practically unsettled, having between them less 
than 500,000 whites, negroes and Chinese. Only 
4 



62 CUBA. 

Within five years has iron-mining begun in earnest. 
The forest areas are unexplored. There are vast 
tracts of unreclaimed lands available for future in- 
dustry. There are broad savannas, now aban- 
doned to tropical thickets, where sugar, tobacco 
and corn could be cultivated. If there are now 
1500 sugar plantations, large and small, on the 
island, there could be 15,000. If there are 15,000 
tobacco-planters of every degree, the number 
might be multiplied. If coffee-farming has de- 
clined and is now restricted mainly to the moun- 
tain slopes of Guantanamo, it could be restored 
to its old-time efficiency and prosperity. A trans- 
formation of administration and economic condi- 
tions are needed in order that there may be a new 
and reinvigorated Cuba. Spanish rule has been 
like the wild Indian fig of the island that winds 
about the monarch trees of the forest and para- 
lyzes and kills them with its serpentine embrace. 
The destroying fig must first be uprooted before 
the tree can have soil, light, air and moisture 
needed for its normal growth. 

A Coffee Plantation. 
Any person desiring to make a coffee estate 
chooses for his plaza, or plantation, high and 
steep ground, if possible facing east and west ; 
altitude above sea-level from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. 
Experience has proven that ground lower than 
1,000 feet is too apt in the dry season to parch 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 6^ 

and give the plant insufficient moisture, whereas 
on the mountain side in the altitude mentioned 
the dews are always heavier, and the morning 
fogs settle longer and give the soil time to absorb 
the moisture it needs to sustain the plant during 
the hot hours of the day. For these reasons, and 
also to avoid the direct rays of the noonday sun, 
steep hillsides are chosen, facing east and west, 
as said above, if possible. As a general thing the 
planter, never having studied the chemical proper- 
ties of coffee-producing land, looks for ground 
where lance-wood, redwood and olive-wood grow 
as a never failing proof that the land is adapted 
for the cultivation of coffee. The land must be 
virgin soil. On this the planter puts his laborers 
to the work of clearing. The larger trees are 
burned out and the smaller trees and brush 
chopped down with ax and machete. The cost 
of clearing the land is about $500, Spanish, per 
caballeria (thirty-three and one-third acres). 

The land is lined out, the lines running from 
the top to the bottom of the hill, four feet apart. 
In these lines five or six coffee berries, three and 
one-half feet from each other and two inches from 
the surface, are planted. In other words, one cabel- 
leria contains, where the whole space can be util- 
ized, 100,000 plants. The coffee is planted during 
the rainy season — in March or September. In 
thirty-five or forty days the seeds begin to sprout. 



64 CUBA. 

These sprouts are allowed to grow for six months, 
after which the healthiest alone are left, the others 
being pulled out. The remaining sprout is left 
growing for eighteen or twenty months. In the 
meanwhile the planter, desiring that his land shall 
yield something, plants corn, plantains, and all 
kinds of vegetables ; also, at intervals between 
the rows, cacao, which, however, does not yield a 
full crop until the coffee plant is exhausted, say, 
in ten or twelve years. As soon as the coffee 
plant reaches a height of four feet it is stunted 
and trimmed, all young sprouts thereon being 
killed off in order to force all the strength into 
the fruit. For the first two years the plant pro- 
duces nothing ; the third year it yields a half crop ; 
on the fourth year a full crop, which runs from 
10,000 to 60,000 pounds of coffee, ready for the 
market, according to the condition of the soil, per 
cabelleria of thirty-three and one-third acres. 
This production continues for ten or more years, 
and the planter can gather his crop of cacao, 
planted as above. 

The coffee plant blooms In January to April, 
then the berry forms and is ripe for picking from 
August to December. The negro is paid for 
picking and delivering the berry at the "seca- 
dero" (a large platform made of stone, covered 
and smoothed with cement) fifty cents per bag. 
It is calculated that one hundred pounds of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 6"] 

berries yield fifteen pounds of marketable coffee. 
Each bag of berries delivered at the *'secadero" 
must contain 200 to 300 pounds, and a good 
workman can pick three bags per day. 

Preparing: Coffee for market. 

The berry is then spread on the ''secadero" 
and exposed to the sun to dry. How long this 
takes depends wholly on the weather — under 
ordinary circumstances, say seventy-two hours. 
The berries while drying are repeatedly raked or 
turned over to quicken the process. During this 
process great watchfulness is required, as the 
slightest rain would ruin the berry. To prevent 
this covers are always ready for the "secadero." 
These are cone-shaped, and when the berries are 
raked into heaps these covers completely protect 
them from rain and dew. 

When the berries are completely dried they 
are put into the "molina de pilar," which is a 
circular trough, usually cemented, in which a 
heavy wheel made of hard wood, the rim plated 
with metal, revolves. This wheel crushes the 
berry and leaves the bean. Ox or mule power is 
employed. The bean is then put into the blower 
to remove all particles of the outside shell. 
When the coffee is clean it is again put into the 
**molina de pilar" to receive a polish. If the 
color is too light a little charcoal is put Into the 
trough with the coffee. 



68 CUBA. 

The coffee, after this process, is ready to be 
put into bags and conveyed to market, which is 
done on mule-back. 

Another process, not so much in use now, 
owing to the fact that the coffee is exported, is 
washing. The berry, as it comes from the playa, 
is put into a crusher to press out the bean. The 
bean faUing into a stone basin is left therein over 
night to rid it of the gum adhering to it. The 
next morning the basin is filled with water and 
the bean washed. This process is repeated two 
or three times, when the coffee is spread out on 
the "secadero" to dry. 

The coffee is conveyed to market on mule- 
back, in bags of about 102 pounds each, a mule 
carrying two bags and traveling ten leagues per 
day. The cost of carrying to market in this man- 
ner runs from 75 cents to $1 per load. 
Havana Cisrars. 

There is a popular theory that since the 
choicest cigars come from Cuba, Havana is the 
best place in the world to buy them. American 
visitors when they come here expect to revel in the 
luxury of smoking the most delicate brands and 
of paying very little for them. Cigars are cheap, 
but not so good, in Havana. " I have sampled 
all brands in various stores," says an American 
traveler, *'and have not found anything better 
than an ordinary Key West cigar that is sold in 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 69 

New York. Exception must be made in favor of 
a handful which I received at a cigar factory as a 
present. These were very good. The cigars 
sold over the counter even in the best restaurants 
are not worth buying. The visitor who wants a 
fine brand cannot do better than to visit one of 
the best factories and make his purchases there, 
throwing himself upon the mercy of the pro- 
prietors and paying well for them. 

"The truth is that the world smokes too 
much to enjoy any longer the luxury of the pure 
Havana of other days. The district where the 
choicest leaf is produced in the Vuelta de Abajo 
is of limited area. It is surrounded by belts in 
which leaf of excellent color, but lacking in 
delicacy of aroma, is produced. It is soil rather 
than climate that regulates the quality of tobacco, 
and while the plant grows readily throughout 
Western Cuba, and in certain districts near 
Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Santiago, it is only 
from a comparatively small area that the best leaf 
can be obtained, and then only when the plants 
are trimmed after budding. The demand for 
well-known brands is very great, and it has to be 
met in some way. I was told in Santiago and 
Cienfuegos that much of the tobacco raised there 
was sent to Havana and made up as cigars pass- 
ing under the best names. The depreciation in 
the quality of Cuban cigars imported into the 



70 CUBA. 

New York market during recent years Is un- 
doubtedly to be accounted for by the artificial 
widening of the Vuelta de Abajo preserves so as 
to include various "hot" tobaccos, similar in 
color, but inferior in aroma. Heavy fertilizing, 
moreover, while increasing the productiveness of 
the land, injures the quality of the leaf. 

A Cis:ar Factory. 

*' No visitor ought to neglect to visit at least 
one of the many large cigar factories of the city. I 
saw at the Corona works a force of 800 men, women 
and children employed in the various processes of 
grouping wrappers according to color, making 
cigars by hand, putting paper labels on them, 
sorting cigars and manufacturing cigarettes. This 
force is increased to 2000 in busy times. This fac- 
tory produces many millions of cigars in the course 
of a year, and about 2,000,000 cigarettes every 
forty-eight hours. The expense of cigarette- 
making is greatly reduced by ingenious machinery 
for filling and packing the paper-holders with to^ 
bacco, closing them at both ends and finally emp- 
tying the trays in which the shells were placed 
before the delicate mechanism was brought to 
bear upon them. This machinery enables six 
men to do the work of 300, and turns out 600,000 
cigarettes a day. Apparently there is some ap- 
prehension felt lest this intricate mechanism may 
be reproduced in detail in the United States, for 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 7 1 

the inventor, whose rights are controlled by the 
Corona, will not allow any visitor with a camera 
to enter the room. Wonderful as the improvement 
in machinery for tobacco-working has been, it has 
not emancipated children from this unhealthy and 
laborious employment. 

"In one of the departments I saw groups of 
sallow-faced children under ten years making 
cheroots and leaf-cigarettes. One was a little 
thing, with a pale, wizened face, bending over the 
table, with strained eyes, and working nervously 
with her tiny fingers as rapidly as the two strong 
women between whom she was sitting. Rarely 
have I seen a more pathetic figure than this child, 
so preoccupied with her work that she could not 
spend time to look at the visitors pausing before 
her with pitying eyes. I asked her age. She was 
barely six years old, and could make 3000 of these 
cheroots a day — almost as many as her mother. 
American visitors will do well to avoid that corner 
of the Corona. Cigars may never have the same 
flavor for them again if they see a child of six 
bending and straining over a work-table in order 
to make them for the pleasure of the grand cabal- 
leros of the gay world." 

Sus:ar Plantations and. Mills* 

Matanzas is one of the largest sugar-pro- 
ducing centres in Cuba. Last year it exported 
about 160,000 tons to the United States and 60,000 



72 CUBA. 

tons of molasses. More molasses Is made here 
than in Cienfuegos, but there is never anything 
wasted by the Cuban planters anywhere by any 
process of the manufacture of sugar. The cen- 
trifugating machines separate the syrup into 
sugar and molasses, each of the first grade. This 
molasses is then worked over a second time with 
more syrup, and the centrifugators divide the 
combination into sugar and molasses, each of the 
second grade. This second grade of molasses 
is carried through a distillery and converted into 
rum of various grades. In these hard times 
sugar-planters cannot afford to lose anything at 
all sweetish that comes from the cane. They sell 
their sugar, molasses and prime rum in New 
York, and their worst rum is worked off In the 
Mexican trade. The refuse cane makes the 
engines go. 

The processes and machinery employed here 
closely resemble those found elsewhere. There 
is one plantation, owned by the Count de Ybanex, 
which Is operated differently. The cane Instead 
of being ground by milling machinery Is cut up 
into small sections and the sugar is worked out 
of it by water, by a process of diffusion similar to 
that employed in the manufacture of beet sugar. 
This method has been tested with satisfactory 
results during the last year at this plantation, 
and has been adopted tentatively at one other 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. "] 2^ 

Cuban factory. More labor is required and coal 
is necessary, but it is asserted that the increased 
expense is more than made up by the larger per- 
centage of sugar obtained from the cane. One 
of the most prominent planters here has furnished 
me with a table showing the percentage obtained 
by seven processes of diffusion by water, the 
aggregate result being the extraction of over 992 
parts of the thousand. The proportion is twelve 
to ten in favor of the diffusion against the or- 
dinary milling process. About 143 tons a day 
are produced by diffusion on the plantation to 
which I have referred, and this is done with 
machinery which has not been perfected. 

It would be a singular result if the diffusion 
process by which the cultivation of European 
beet sugar has been largely developed and en- 
abled to crowd out cane sugar were adopted 
generally in Cuba as a means of cheapening and 
enlarging the product. One manufacturer, who 
has made sugar by the grinding method for many 
years, believes that this will happen. He admits 
that the change of method will involve the aban- 
donment of an extensive plant and the substitu- 
tion of much new machinery ; but he contends 
that a revolution in the current processes of making 
cane sugar is impending. The Spanish Govern- 
ment now blocks the way by imposing a duty of 
one to two dollars a ton on coal. The diffusion 



74 CUBA. 

process involves the necessity of using coal, and 
the duty materially increases the cost of pro- 
duction. This is an apt illustration of the burdens 
imposed upon Cuba by a tariff system which does 
not protect any of its industrial and productive 
interests. 

How Sugrar is Made. 

Soledad has the reputation of being the best 
managed sugar plantation in Cuba. It produced 
last year 12,000,000 pounds of sugar, and this 
year it will probably send to market 14,000,000 
pounds. Other plantations largely exceed it in 
cultivated area and mechanical resources, Con- 
stancia having a product of 40,000,000 pounds, 
but Soledad is conducted on scientific principles 
and with American thoroughness, system, and or- 
ganization, so that there is the greatest saving in 
the cost of production and the largest margin for 
profit on the investment. All the improved ma- 
chinery is here ; every time-saving and labor- 
dispensing device is employed, and the maximum 
amount of sugar is obtained from the cane at the 
lowest possible cost. Soledad is largely owned 
by Americans. 

Soledad lies near a picturesque little river 
flowing into the bay of Cienfuegos. It is reached 
from the town after a delightful sail on a steam 
yacht across the bay and up the river^ and a short 
railway ride from the wharf to the sugar works 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 77 

and plantation house. When the train draws up 
before the door the manager is at hand with genial 
smile and graceful hospitality to welcome his 
guests, and to conduct them personally over the 
works. With his explanations the intricate pro- 
cesses of converting cane into sugar are speedily 
revealed. Then follows a plantation breakfast 
served in the airy dining-room of his house with 
lavish hospitality and refinement of courtesy. 
The dining-room adjoins the parlor or reception 
room, which is furnished in characteristic Cuban 
style with cane settees and rocking-chairs — a 
spacious, high-studded room on the second floor, 
with windows overlooking the sugar works, and 
a lovely plantation garden. The floors are bare, 
carpets never being used on the island, but no 
Yankee housewife with a mania for sweeping, 
dusting, and polishing can have a more scrupu- 
lously neat parlor than what the manager face- 
tiously describes as the bachelor's hall of Soledad. 
An afternoon passed in a planter's house is some- 
thing to be treasured in memory as one of the de- 
lightful experiences of a lifetime. 

The first sugar plantation in Cuba was 
established about a hundred years after the dis- 
covery of the island. For three centuries the 
chief industry of the island has been the cultiva- 
tion of cane and its conversion into sugar. For 
a long period the processes of manufacture were 



78 CUBA. 

crude, Inexpensive and wasteful, oxen being 
employed in grinding cane, and the machinery 
being of the roughest and simplest design. It is 
no longer either practicable or profitable to raise 
cane, and make sugar on a small scale. Steam 
has taken the place of the ox and mule, not only 
in the grinding mills, but to a large extent in the 
fields. At Soledad the cane is carried to the 
works by long trains running on narrow-gauge 
railways through the estate. It is unloaded from 
the cars by negroes and thrown upon a broad 
carrier traveling up a long incline to the rollers 
of the first mill. As many as fifteen men are 
employed in handling this moving mass of cane. 
When it reaches the first mill it is ground by 
rollers weighing fifteen tons and set close to- 
gether. The cane is broken up and about sixty 
per cent, of the liquor which it contains is drawn 
off underneath the mill. Under the old process 
there was only one grinding and much of the 
liquor was wasted. Now the cane is ground 
twice and an additional fifteen per cent, of 
the juice is obtained. Streams of liquor from 
the vats of the two mills unite and pass through 
a strainer, one workman being employed in rak- 
ing off floating refuse and preventing obstruc- 
tions. The liquor is then ready to be pumped 
into the boiling works. 

The refuse of the cane after the two grind- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 79 

Ings is the only fuel used in the works. It is 
carried by moving conductors to the furnaces and 
dumped automatically, being dried by the intense 
heat and consumed as rapidly as it is fed. Wood 
was used as fuel when the steam engine was 
introduced in sugar works, and subsequently 
bagasse, or refuse cane, was put with it. Boilers 
have been invented to facilitate the employment 
of bagasse as fuel. Those used here are the 
Porcupine boilers of the Stillwater pattern. 
Ordinarily, when the furnaces are fed with 
bagasse, a force of eighty laborers is constantly 
occupied in transferring it from the mills to the 
boiler-house. At Soledad two men do the work 
of eighty ; or, to speak more accurately, the 
automatic action of the mechanical conductors 
dispenses with the labor of seventy-eight men. 
Indeed, a close approach is made here to the 
solution of the old problem of perpetual motion. 
The cane, when fed to the conductors, serves to 
keep all the complex machinery of the works in 
operation; the broken and crushed fragments of 
bagasse are carried to the furnaces and furnish 
the power by which not only the grinding, but 
also the pumping and boiling are done ; all that 
is not juice, but sheer waste, goes into the pro- 
duction of force by which the mills are kept 
grinding and the liquor clarified, boiled and crys- 
tallized into sugar. 



8o CUBA. 

From the grinding-mill the cane-juice is 
pumped into large tanks located in the upper 
story of the boiling works. In these tanks it 
is treated with lime which neutralizes the acid. 
The albumen coagulates when cracked by steam 
and brought to the boiling point. From the 
tanks the liquor is pumped into the first of 
three great boilers, or vacuum pans. In order 
that boiling may take place at low temperatures 
the air in the pans is exhausted by steam pumps. 
In the first boiler the temperature is 200 degrees, 
in the second 180 degrees and in the third 150 
degrees, with corresponding vacuums in each, the 
heat from the boiling liquor being an agency in 
the process. This is known as the triple effect of 
boiling. The liquor is boiled to a syrup contain- 
ing fifty per cent, of water and fifty per cent, of 
sugar. The sugar crystallizes in two large strike- 
pans, where the most delicate work of the factory 
is done. The most expert operatives are in 
charge of the strike-pans, from which the contents 
are constantly sampled and tested in the labora- 
tory, conducted here by a most intelligent 
American. The sugar is rapidly cooled and 
carried into a series of centrifugators. In these 
the sugar is separated from the molasses by the 
centrifugating process. As the contents revolve 
about the centre, the sugar gradually begins to 
whiten and the molasses is expelled through holes 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 8 1 

in the sides. When the process Is completed 
eighty-five per cent, is sugar and fifteen per cent, 
molasses as the result of two boilings. The 
sugar is collected by machinery, carried to the 
bagging and weighing rooms, and transported by 
railroad and steam lighter to the wharves of 
Cienfuegos for shipment to New York. 

Without attempting to describe in detail the 
complex steam mechanism by which the various 
processes of sugar-making are effected, we may 
briefly state that these works are equipped with 
all the improved machinery that has been invented 
for saving either time or labor. There is, more- 
over, the perfection of organization and manage- 
ment. With five or six Americans in charge of 
the work, and with expert Chinamen employed in 
the most delicate processes, leakages which ordi- 
narily reduce the planter's profits to a deficit are 
stopped, and sugar-making is conducted in the 
most economical and profitable way. At Soledad 
the manager always knows what the works are 
doing day by day, what percentage of sugar he 
is getting out of the cane, and how his product 
will be graded and rated in the New York market. 
The work is not done at random, but with 
accurate knowledge. A tour through the works 
reveals the cleanest and tidiest factory depart- 
ments to be seen in or out of New England. 
Every workman knows what he has to do. There 

5 



82 CUBA. 

is the ceaseless rumbling of the machinery, but 
there is no talking anywhere, no idling of time, 
no confusion. 

The works are in operation at Soledad day 
and night from December to May, and are then 
closed until the next grinding season. This is 
the period when the cane is ripe and when the 
juice must be expressed with the least possible 
delay. Cane that is left too long in the field 
deteriorates in quality and yields less juice. The 
cane bears one crop a year, and stands for twelve 
years. When it is ready for harvest it is cut 
close to the ground with knives and carried to 
the tramway cars. The next season the cornlike 
stalk grows to its full height, and is ready to be 
cut again and to have its juice expressed. The 
grinding season is a short one, and there is great 
danger lest the cane be spoiled by heat or rain. 
The most intelligent supervision is required in 
the fields, and the most rapid transportation of 
the cane to the mills. Both of these conditions 
are supplied at Soledad. The cane is cut when 
it is ripe and carried by train to the mills, where 
it is converted into sugar in a single day. 

The struggle between cane and beet sugar 
will inevitably be one of the sharpest industrial 
conflicts known in the history of manufacture. 
Whether Cuban cane can hold its own against 
European and American beet is a question which 



FIGKT FOR FREEDOM. S^ 

not even experts in the business venture to 
answer. But one thing is certain : If the cane- 
sugar industry of this island is to keep its ground 
against the destructive competition of the bounty- 
fed beet, it can only be through processes of 
economical production and with the improved 
machinery employed in plantations like Soledad. 
Not only is the American market needed for 
Cuban sugar, but American capital, system and 
habits of organization are required as well. 
Commercial Interests. 
The commerce of Havana is almost wholly 
with the United States and largely under the 
American flag. Two steamers supply a tri- 
weekly mail service via Tampa, and there are two 
steamers each way every week between New 
York and Havana, the vessels of the direct and 
Mexican lines alternating. There is also a New 
Orleans line. There is an excellent mail and 
passenger service, offering superior facilities for 
die transportation of freight to Gulf ports and 
New York. There are more American sailing 
vessels to be seen in the harbor of Havana than 
in any other foreign port. The bulk of the sugar 
is carried to New York by the Ward steamers 
and by sail under the American flag. The sharp- 
est competitors are the Spanish companies, one of 
which is heavily subsidized in Madrid, with branch 
lines to New York, La Guayra, Colon and Vera 



84 CUBA. 

Cruz. Another Spanish Hne runs to Liverpool, 
being virtually owned there. There are no steam- 
ers here under the English flag. A French line 
dispatches two steamers and a German line one 
every month. The communications with Europe 
are mainly under the Spanish flag. No return 
freights can be carried in that direction, since the 
sugar goes in bulk to the United States ; and 
hence few steamers come out except those that 
are subsidized by Spain and tramps knocking 
about the West Indies for cargoes to New York. 
At Matanzas, the Spanish steamers and Norwe- 
gian and English sailing vessels are actively com- 
peting for freights, so that not more than half of 
the 160,000 tons of sugar and the 60,000 tons of 
molasses annually exported is carried north under 
the American flag. At Cardenas and Sagua, sim- 
ilar conditions prevail. The steamers stop at 
these three ports, but not with such frequency as 
to control the shipping business, as they do at 
Havana. 

A commercial agreement based upon equality 
of privilege for the flags of Spain and the United 
States was concluded in February, 1884. The 
non-enforcement of that compact in Cuban ports 
has been a constant source of complaint on the 
part of American shipping and exporting in- 
terests. Consul-General Williams directed the 
attention of the State Department to several in- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 85 

Stances in which American vessels were compelled 
to pay tonnage dues when Spanish vessels were 
exempt, and to other cases in which higher rates 
of duties were levied upon cargoes carried under 
the American flag than were imposed upon the 
cargoes of Spanish vessels. A long diplomatic cor- 
respondence respecting discriminations founded 
on the trans-shipment of cargoes in American 
and Spanish vessels ensued, and President Cleve- 
land in 1886 gave notice of the revocation of the 
agreement of 1884, and the imposition of a dis- 
criminating duty of ten per cent, against cargoes 
in Spanish vessels entering American ports. This 
decisive action brought Spain to its senses. An 
agreement between Secretary Bayard and the 
Spanish Minister provided for the equalization 
of tonnage and import dues so far as American 
and Spanish vessels were concerned. The Presi- 
dent restored the modus vivendi, which has con- 
tinued in operation, subject to several amendments. 
While various controversies have arisen respect- 
ing exemptions from tonn,'\ge dues, the principle 
has been established that so far as the customs 
law is concerned vessels imderthe two flags must 
be treated on terms of equality in American and 
Spanish ports. 

Some Annoyins: Tricks. 
Spanish rapacity has devised an ingenious 
method of harassing American shipping interests 



S6 CUBA. 

by a system of fines imposed for clerical errors 
and shortages of cargo in which there is no 
intent to defraud the Government of the island. 
For example, a Ward steamer in loading cargo 
recently at the New York wharf left ashore two 
ploughs. The error was discovered and a dis- 
patch sent to the custom house at Matanzas 
announcing that the ploughs called for on the 
manifest would be sent by the next steamer. 
The telegram was received before the steamer 
arrived, but a fine of ^400 was imposed, although 
the ploughs were shipped the next week. An- 
other steamer was fined $800 for a shortage of 
four tierces of lard under similar circumstances. 
These instances might be multiplied indefinitel}^ 
Then there is another class of trivial errors 
which furnish opportunities for the exaction of 
penalties. The steamer ''Cienfuegos" was heavily 
fined for having in the manifest a generic word 
"drugs," instead of a specific term. Other 
vessels have been fined for the most trivial cler- 
ical errors. One of the captains of a leading 
steamship line says that he seldom makes a 
voyage to Cuba without having a fine imposed 
upon his ship. At the first port which he enters 
he employs and pays a custom house official to 
examine the manifest critically and find out if it 
be correct in form ; but notwithstanding this pre- 
caution fines are levied for incorrect translations 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. Sy 

and clerical errors. Each custom house has its 
own system of interpretation and special phrase- 
ology, and a manifest that will pass inspection at 
one will not at another. Spanish vessels enter- 
ing Cuban ports are not subjected to these 
harassing annoyances. American vessels alone 
are fined for technical errors. 

The files of the State Department at Wash- 
ington are crammed with correspondence relating 
to fines of this character, and the question has 
been repeatedly raised at Madrid. In the United 
States penalties are never imposed when there 
has evidently been no breach of good faith on the 
part of the shipper ; but in Cuba advantage is 
taken of every technical irregularity. The moiety 
system by which the informer receives a portion 
of the fine stimulates the zeal of custom-house 
operators. One collector levies a penalty and it 
is confirmed by the Council of Administration. 
The Captain-General, when appeal is made to 
him, refers the case to the Colonial office in 
Madrid. When the papers are returned after 
long delay with a recommendation that the fine 
be remitted, it is too late to refund it. The in- 
former has received his share and cannot be com- 
pelled to give it up. A new Collector of Customs 
confesses his inability to revise and reverse a de- 
cision of his predecessor. Diplomatic corres- 
pondence has been carried on for years in relation 



88 CUBA. 

to these cases without effect. The customs offi- 
cials have their living to make by their wits at the 
expense of American shipowners. They ply their 
trade with unceasing industry. 

This system of fining is virtually a discrimi- 
nation against American vessels in Spanish ports, 
and is contrary to the principle of equality of 
flags on which the modus vivendi is based. The 
State Department has taken this ground, but 
seems to be powerless to obtain redress for the 
just grievances of American ship-owners. It will 
have an opportunity, however, if a reciprocity 
treaty be negotiated, for incorporating in the ex- 
isting commercial agreement provisions for the 
protection of American interests against these 
exactions. Two stipulations are requisite — one 
furnishing means for a prompt appeal for the 
remission of fines for trivial offences, and the 
other requiring payment of the penalty in full 
into the treasury, so that the informer cannot get 
his share of it. These provisions of treaty law 
are needed in order to enforce the principle of 
non-discrimination between the flags embodied in 
the existing modus vivendi. 

A Plucky Captain. 

A good story is told of Captain Colton, one 
of the most aggressive Americans on the coast. 
Owing to bad weather at Nassau he was com- 
pelled to leave port without landing a portion of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 89 

his cargo. When he arrived at the Cuban ports 
he reported the case and announced that he would 
land the cargo on the return trip and send by 
mail a certificate from the Spanish Consul at 
Nassau that the goods had been put ashore there. 
The custom house officials would not listen to 
him, but refused to clear his ship because a cargo 
not intended. for Cuba had been brought in. He 
allowed them half an hour in which to come to a 
decision. He told them that in order to protect 
the lives of his passengers and to save his ship 
he had been compelled to leave Nassau without 
landing a portion of his cargo, and announced 
that if they refused to clear the vessel he would 
abandon it where it lay at anchor, hold them 
responsible for the consequences and take his 
crew in a body to Havana before the Consul- 
General to protest against their conduct. It was 
a bold stroke, but Captain Colton knew the men 
with whom he was dealing. They promptly 
cleared his ship. 

The Consulate-General of Havana is one 
of the most laborious and exacting offices in the 
American service. Not only is the volume of 
commercial exchanges with the United States 
very great, but there is also a mass of diplomatic 
work to be done here, requiring experience, in- 
tellectual resources and knowledge of Interna- 
tional and Cuban law. Not only are cases of 



90 CUBA. 

customs exactions similar to those already des- 
cribed constantly arising, but the rights of Ameri- 
can citizens are assailed in many other ways. 
Mr. Atkins, of Boston, at one time chartered a 
line of steamers to carry sugar from Cienfuegos, 
and subquently abandoned the enterprise. Sev- 
eral years after the withdrawal of his vessels a 
claim was brought against him for $12,929.30, 
alleged balances of tonnage due. This was dis- 
puted and on October 22, 1890, an attachment 
of $4,000 was placed on one of his plantations 
at San Jose, near Cienfuegos. The Consul-Gen- 
eral at once took up the case, contending that the 
responsibility for any mistake made when the 
steamers were cleared lay with the customs 
officials ; that they could not invalidate their own 
clearance papers by bringing suit eight years 
after blunders of their own were committed ; that 
under the treaties of 1795 and 181 5 the pro- 
ceedings must be conducted by a court, and that 
the customs officials had no right to deprive the 
defendant of the privilege of hearing the charges 
made against him and employing counsel, and 
that the period had expired by limitation during 
which any claim could legally be filed. This is 
an illustration of the work which the Consul- 
General is constantly called upon to do. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE UNSAVORY HARBOR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF 

HAVANA AT THE OPERA THE LOTTERY 

CATHEDRAL AND CUSTOM HOUSE i3aNSE DU 

VENTRE IN CUBA THE BULL RING THE TOMB 

OF COLUMBUS AMONG THE PAWN-SHOPS A 

HARD BARGAIN MATANZAS A WONDERFUL 

CAVE A MODERN CITY TRAVELING IN CUBA 

SANTIAGO HARBOR A TOWN OF ANCIENT DIRT 

CUBAN RAILROADS — ONE CLEAN TOWN — A VILE 
HOTEL. 



IF THE traveler leaves New York at one o'clock, 
Saturday afternoon, and is favored with fine 
weather, he will find himself within a few 
hours of the Cuban capital early on the morning 
of the following Wednesday. As the steamer 
enters the harbor, sailing by the Morro Castle, 
built on a natural foundation of solid rock and 
bristling with guns (which would probably burst 
at the first discharge) the scene is wonderfully 
pretty. Havana itself, with its Moorish architec- 
ture, its irregular and picturesque streets, its 
numerous plazas, or squares, whose palm and 
Indian laurel trees raise their green branches 
high above the low buildings of tlie city ; its 

(91) . 



92 CUBA. 

houses of white stone decorated liberally with 
blue, red, green or pink, having roofs of brown 
tiling, present an enchanting picture. 

Passengers and freight are landed by means 
of small sailboats which ply between the steamers 
and the dock. One sits in the stern of the craft, 
under an awning which succeeds in keeping out 
what little breeze may be stirring, and speculates 
as to the probability of ever seeing one's luggage 
again, while listening to a torrent of Spanish pro- 
fanity which the captain distributes impartially 
among the crew. 

The Unsavory Harbor. 

As the boat approaches the dock, Havana 
sends her greeting to you in the shape of a select 
and varied assortment of vile odors. Less than 
one-eighth of the city is sewered, and that is so 
badly done that practically she has no system of 
drainage. It is said on the authority of a local 
doctor, that there is not known to be in existence 
even to-day a chart or map showing the layout or 
location of the drains, which are constructed of 
the soft, porous stone of the country. 

In most of the houses the waste and refuse 
matter is thrown into a cesspool in the patio, or 
court-yard ; these are cleaned out at infrequent 
intervals and the contents dumped into the har- 
bor. As the rise and fall of the tide in the bay 
is only a matter of eighteen inches, there is of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 93 

course but little movement below the surface of 
the water, and as almost all the filth of the city 
ultimately finds its way there, where it sinks to 
the bottom and remains, the condition of the 
harbor of Havana is simply horrible. 

It is true that the government makes some 
little attempt to clean it, but that amounts to 
nothing. Many of the sewers empty directly 
under the docks, where they can not be got at 
easily ; consequently there is much sickness at all 
seasons in that part of the town, especially among 
the sailors, who come here from foreign ports. 

Havana is so situated that it might be per- 
fectly drained and be, therefore, one of the 
healthiest and most delightful cities in the world, 
but while it remains in the hands of the present 
government things will continue as they are, 
since for every thousand of dollars legitimately 
expended for improvement, as much more will 
find its way into the pockets of the officials, and 
the people are already overburdened with taxation. 
This is no secret, for the matter is freely discussed 
in the cafes and shops. 

First Impressions of Havana. 

An American's first impressions of Havana 
are strongly colored by current literature of 
travel, which needs thorough revision. Most of 
the popular books on Cuba were written either 
during the slavery period or immediately after 



94 CUBA. 

the Insurrection. A great deal has happened 
during the last decade to which the book-writers 
do not bear testimony. One comes to Havana, 
says a recent writer, with a strong feeling of 
sympathy for a people lying bound and fettered 
in the outer darkness of political despotism, 
overawed by a foreign garrison of 60,000 soldiers, 
despoiled of their liberties, denied the rights 
of public meeting and a free press, subjected to 
unceasing police espionage and the risks of 
arbitrary arrest, plundered by tax-gatherers and 
lawless bandits, gloomy, unhappy and despairing. 
Before a day has passed he finds out that much 
of his sympathy is misplaced. Cuba is some- 
thing very different from what he has imagined it 
to be. 

"There is fullness of life in this Cuban 
capital, with exuberance of animal spirits and 
light-hearted gayety. There are few care-worn 
faces to be seen in the crowded streets, the busy 
arcades and the spacious plazas. The cafes and 
restaurants are thronged day and night with a 
pleasure-loving, rollicking population. Around 
the shabby little statue of Isabella gathers nightly 
a motley concourse, joyous in mood and mercurial 
in temper, to listen to the feeble murmur of a 
Spanish band, or to traffic in lottery tickets and 
to laugh and chatter by the hour over frivo- 
lous jests. What Paris is to France, Havana is 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 95 

to Cuba. It Is the centre of the island's life, 
activities and recreation. The times may be 
hard, but to the Lydian measures of their favorite 
and characteristic city, Cubans disport themselves 
with intensity of enjoyment. Here are the only 
good theatres of the island, and two opera com- 
panies can draw crowded houses on the same 
night. Here are the best Spanish club-houses, 
and play runs high in gilded gaming-houses. 
Here is the bustle caused by the daily movement 
of a population of 250,000, and under the flare 
of electric light the city loses the aspect of faded 
grandeur and Is again the most brilliant and gay- 
est capital of Spanish America. There is more 
of genuine Spanish blood In Havana than in 
Buenos Ayres, Mexico, Santiago, Montevideo or 
Lima. Mr. Froude has estimated that there are 
in Cuba alone ten times as many Spaniards as 
there are English and Scotch in all the West 
Indies. The porter handling your baggage in 
the custom house, the hackman driving you 
to the hotel and the shop-keepers who stare at 
you from the arcades, are either Spanish emi- 
grants themselves, or their parents were born in 
the historic Peninsula. Spanish voices may be 
heard in the streets, and at the adjoining table In 
the hotel dining-room there will be perfect types 
of Spanish faces. One family I have never 
wearied of watching at noon and at night^a rich 



g6 CUBA. 

planter's son, tall, erect, with handsome face, 
courtly bearing and eyes with a keen suggestion 
of hardness and treachery ; his wife, with a re- 
fined face of delicate beauty, with eyes large and 
lustrous, and with voice soft and caressing as 
the airs of her native Castile ; and two lovely 
children, with oval faces and silky hair, in good 
discipline under the parents' eyes, but rebelling 
boisterously against the usurpation of an English 
governess. Cuba is essentially Spanish in its 
blood, its customs, its vices, its pleasures and its 
life. Whatever else the Spaniard may do, he 
never mopes ; and Cuba, w4th all the evils of 
misgovernment and all the hard pressure of 
economic reverses, is cheery, bright and over- 
flowing with good nature. 

At tlie Opera. 
''The Tacon Theatre is the largest auditor- 
ium in the city. It may have been an impressive 
interior when the frescoes were fresh and the 
gilding and decorations bright and untarnished, 
but it is now a dingy barn, remarkable only for its 
seating capacity — between 3,000 and 4,000. I 
attended a performance of ''Lohengrin" one 
Saturday night, when the lattice-work boxes were 
filled with ladies in full dress, and the parquette 
crowded, with the four upper tiers half empty. 
There was a fair orchestra, but the chorus was 
weak, and only one of the singers acted her part 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 97 

With any spirit. The Cubans, while passionately 
fond of music, are accustomed to intensity of 
action, violent gesticulation and excessive pos- 
turing in every-day life ; and they cannot forgive 
even a good singer who neglects to throw her- 
self into her part. The contralto, who sang 
badly, but showed signs of intensity of feeling, 
was rapturously applauded. Poor Elsa, who could 
only sing like a bird, with unaffected simplicity, 
was barely tolerated. The Havana ladies in their 
dress affect violent and startling contrasts of 
vivid coloring, and make a lavish use of powder 
and rouge. The intermission between acts is a 
protracted one, and the lobbies and cafes are 
filled with a cloud of cigarette smoke and a loud 
uproar of excited conversation. If action be 
lacking on the stage, it is amply supplied in the 
lobbies, where every man energetically illustrates 
and emphasizes the most trivial remark or the 
stalest joke by an astonishing play of facial ex- 
pression and gesticulation. 

'' The bull-ring remains, as in former years, 
the favorite amusement of the Cubans, but the 
performances are less frequent and the sport is 
poorer. The cock-pits are the cheapest and 
most popular entertainment, and Sunday would 
be incomplete and dull without many of these 
revolting exhibitions. The spectators become 
fairly delirious with excitement as the battle pro- 

6 



98 CUBA. 

ceeds. Betting on the result runs high, and many 
a poor montero has all that he has in the world 
staked upon one bird or the other. A passion 
for gambling is the heritage of the Spanish blood 
— like administrative corruption. The popularity 
of the lottery is explained by the same race 
instinct. In other Spanish-American countries 
the lotteries are conducted for the benefit of 
churches and hospitals ; but here the Government 
monopolizes the business as a permanent source 
of revenue. There is public faith in the honesty 
of the drawings and methods of administering 
the Havana lottery, and certainly the Government 
has no reason for acting otherwise, since it profits 
handsomely by the enterprise." 
Xlie I^ottery. 
The Royal Havana Lottery is well known 
over a large part of the world, and was for many 
years the most important and best regulated 
lottery in existence. It is, or was, entirely under 
the control and management of the Government, 
and was conducted on a perfectly upright and 
honest principle. The Government, however, 
like many other agencies, deducted a very large 
commission for its trouble. The system was for 
the Government to issue tickets to the amount of 
$500,000. These tickets each bore a number and 
were in the form of coupons, and each could be 
divided into sixteen parts, each having the number 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 99 

upon It. The price of a full ticket was an ounce 
of gold, which was valued at $iy. But as the 
ticket could be divided into sixteen parts, a six- 
teenth part of a ticket was sold for $i.i2yi. The 
prizes awarded were as follows : One prize of 
$100,000, one prize of $50,000, five prizes of 
$20,000 each, ten prizes of $5,000 each, and 
twenty-five prizes of $2,000 each, amounting in 
all to $250,000. The Government had, therefore, 
on each drawing, a profit of $150,000. A draw- 
ing was held every month. The Government 
retained all tickets or parts of tickets not sold, 
and, of course, drew what prizes fell to them. 
As a rule all the tickets were sold out some time 
before the day of drawing, and sometimes the 
demand was so great that special drawings had to 
be organized. 

This institution was very popular in Havana. 
The poorest families would take their sixteenth 
part of a ticket, attaching great importance to 
some particular number which they regarded as 
lucky. Others, according to their means and 
station in life, took larger parts of tickets or 
whole tickets. Of course each portion of a ticket 
entitled the holder to a corresponding proportion 
of the prize. Many merchants took regularly 
every month one or more whole tickets, devoting 
a special account book to their lottery investments. 
A few of these books showed a balance on the 



lOO CUBA. 

side of profit, but more of them had balances on 
the side of loss. It was, however, regarded as a 
way of paying taxes. If the Government had 
not made as much money as it did out of the 
lottery it would have had to impose heavier taxes 
upon the people. It afforded, moreover, a little 
pleasing excitement, and the poorer people 
always cherished a hope of some day drawing a 
big prize and becoming rich. Certain lands and 
properties were looked out to be bought, certain 
businesses were to be commenced, old homes in 
Spain were to be visited, and many other 
objects were to be attained "when I draw in 
the lottery," and of course every month the 
fame spread around of a stroke of fortune to 
some one. 

The lottery was also the means of providing 
employment for a large number of poor people 
as ticket-sellers. These people must be known 
to be really poor, deserving and well-behaved. 
When they got the appointment they were pro- 
vided with brass badges inscribed with the num- 
bers of their licenses. Each was assigned to a 
certain district and was required to appear 
perfectly clean and well-dressed with the brass 
badge shining brightly. They were allowed 
to call out their numbers in soliciting trade, 
but always to be respectful and civil and never 
importunate. 



o 

2: 

I 

Xii 




FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I03 

Catliedral and Custom Mouse. 

Some 300 years ago, when Spain held 
dominion over the greater part of the New 
World, and the city of Havana was rising up as a 
central station and key to these possessions, a 
magnificent cathedral was erected, fronting the 
sea, inside of the beautiful bay which now f6rms 
the harbor, and just about the centre of the front 
of the walled city. This cathedral was said to be 
the finest in the New World, and was held in great 
veneration. When Havana was captured by the 
British in 1762, a considerable force was landed 
to garrison the place, a part of which was cavalry 
with little regard for the sacredness of the edifice, 
the conquerors used the cathedral as a stable for 
their horses. A year later the city was restored 
to Spain by the treaty of peace signed at Paris, 
and the cathedral was restored to its rightful 
owners. In consideration of the use to which it 
had been put by the British, it was declared to 
be defiled and desecrated and entrance to 
it was strictly forbidden. For a period of 100 
years the stately building was condemned to 
be closely shut up in darkness. When that 
period had elapsed, the building was reopened 
but never again was used as a place of wor- 
ship. It was converted into a custom house 
and devoted to the secular purposes of the Gov- 
ernment. 



I04 CUBA. 

Xlie Oanse du Ventre in Cuba. 

"I attended," says a recent visitor, ''a dra- 
matic performance at the Alhambra one night. 
Three zarzuelasy or short one-act plays, are pre- 
sented, and after each one a baile, or dance resem- 
bhng the Cancan, is performed (in this instance) 
by three women and three men. The dancers 
are very graceful, and although the tempo of the 
music is disconcerting to my ear, they manage to 
keep perfect time, which is perhaps the most re- 
markable feature of it. 

"But the dance of the evening is given by a 
slender and rather pretty Spanish girl, very 
modestly costumed and accompanied by soft, 
voluptuous music. She is assisted by a nimble 
male dancer, who circles about her with simple, 
yet graceful steps, advancing wildly toward her 
at intervals as if about to embrace her ; she 
escapes him, however, and he himself seems to 
think better of it on reflection, retiring discreetly 
to the back of the stage where he gesticulates 
madly to some mysterious personage in the flies, 
appearing to give up the whole business as a bad 
job. The dance of la senorita has so far been 
similar to that given by Carmencita, but now her 
movements become nothing more than a series 
of wriggles and contortions of the abdomen and 
hips — it is, in fact, the danse du ventre exactly as 
seen in the Midway Plaisance, only more suggest- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. IO5 

Ive and Indecent than the Chicago article and 
infinitely more graceful. 

''Amid a final discordant crash on the part of 
the orchestra and howls of delight from the 
audience, the curtain descends, when the Ameri- 
can visitor betakes himself to the cafe to escape 
the inevitable encore and to enjoy his cigarette 
and lemonade in peace." 

Xlie ]Bull Itins:. 

The most famous popular amusement in 
Havana is, however, bull-fighting, especially on 
Sundays. 

As early as 2 o'clock the people begin to 
gather at the ring, although the sport will not be- 
gin until 4. In the meantime a vast quantity of 
lemonade, water sweetened with panales, cheap 
wine and cognac, is disposed of by the hot and 
thirsty crowd. In the palcos (boxes) many senoras 
are to be seen with fan and mantilla, attended by 
dandies smoking cigarettes or big black cigars. 

Everybody is talking, the band plays gay 
music and occasionally you hear the bulls bellow- 
ing in their pens outside the ring. 

The latter is about eighty feet In diameter 
and surrounded by a board fence some four feet 
high, over which the fighters vault when hard 
pressed by the bull. At 4 o'clock exactly the 
president enters his palco, signals with his hand- 
kerchief for the slaughter to begin, and from the 



I06 CUBA. 

opposite side the bull-fighters enter the enclosure, 
marching in pairs across to the president, whom 
they salute before taking their several positions 
about the arena. 

The trumpet sounds and as the bull bounds 
into the ring, a rosette of colored paper fastened 
to a sharp piece of metal is driven into his shoulder. 
This is unpleasant for the bull, and, snorting with 
anger, he charges on an offensive partisan, called 
a capeador, who gently waves a red cloak before 
him. Just as the animal reaches him, he steps 
nimbly aside, escaping by a hair's-breadth. 

For ten or fifteen minutes the bull is teased 
in this manner by the gentlemen with gaudy cloaks, 
when at another signal from the president the 
trumpet sounds again and a banderillero enters 
armed with banderillas — short sticks ornamented 
with colored paper, having wicked-looking barbs 
or darts in the ends. 

The banderillero, taking one of these pleasant 
toys in either hand, approaches his enemy, raising 
himself on tiptoe and waving his arms up and 
down. The eyes of the bull have a dangerous 
gleam, as he faces the fighter, pawing the ground 
and bellowing with rage. Suddenly he lowers his 
head and rushes straight at the banderillero, who 
calmly awaits the onset, until the bull is within 
three feet of him, when, like lightning, he hurls 
the darts into the animal's neck and escapes with 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. IO7 

nothing worse than a tumble. Sometimes these 
banderillas have bombs affixed to them, which 
explode under the bull's skin, causing him to 
feel very ill, and amusing the audience beyond 
expression. This act, when cleverly executed, 
calls forth rapturous applause and showers of 
silver coin and cigars, while some throw their 
hats into the ring — wearing old ones there for 
the purpose. 

El Toro, who up to this time has been fight- 
ing with great courage, Is streaming with blood 
and begins to lose confidence In his " rushes." 
The people, too, are impatient and clamor for the 
deathstroke, and at a final signal from the presi- 
dential box the matador y carrying a red flag and a 
long, slender sword, makes a salute and takes his 
position. The business of the other fighters now 
is to tease and madden the bull while endeavoring 
to direct his attention to the matador. The latter 
waves his red banner, advances, retreats, while 
the audience yells and the band plays. The poor 
victim is fairly blind with rage by this time, and 
steadying himself for a moment for a last mighty 
effort, makes a dash toward the matador, who, 
with a deft and vigorous stroke, pierces the heart 
of the bull and the butchery Is finished. 

A brutal sport, you say ? Well, It may be 
so ; yet, as a Cuban friend puts it, how much 
more refined and elevating is it to see two per- 



I08 CUBA. 

fectly developed human animals beat each other's 
heads to a jelly with two-ounce gloves ? 
Tlie Tomb of Columbus. 

One of the first conventional duties which 
an American visitor feels called upon to perform 
is to pay his tribute to the discoverer of America 
by visiting the Cathedral and reading the Spanish 
doggerel inscription near an altar with porphyry 
pillars. If he be uncertain whether it was the 
great Christopher who was really buried there, 
and not Brother Diego, who was disinterred in 
Santo Domingo and brought over by mistake, he 
needs to hasten back to the hotel and not to 
make a short detour in order to glance at the 
wretched little Columbus Chapel erected where 
the discoverer is reputed to have attended the 
first Mass ever celebrated in Havana — one of the 
most bare-faced fictions ever repeated by priest 
or layman. Before going more than three blocks 
he will be in the centre of one of the most inter- 
esting trading-places of Havana. In Compostela 
and adjoining streets he will be among the pawn- 
shops, where the best bargains in the West 
Indies are to be made. These shops are stocked 
with old furniture, plate, china, jewelry, clocks, 
watches, firearms, fans, laces, medals and orna- 
ments, with everything of value on which bank- 
rupt or spendthrift planters, soldiers and gamblers 
have been able to borrow money. Three months 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. IO9 

only are allowed for the redemption of the 
goods. Long ago the time expired and now 
everything is at the disposal of the Yankee pur- 
chasers eager to obtain curios or anything that is 
very old and at the same time very cheap. 
Among- tlie Pa^wn-Sliops. 
There is no more unerring sign of the ex- 
haustion of Cuban resources than the revelations 
of these pawn-shops, which monopolize the trade 
of foreign visitors. In these shops are to be 
found heirlooms that were handed down from 
one generation to another ; medals of honor for 
bravery in the field; engagement rings, neck- 
laces, diamonds, antique lace that has been worn 
by heiresses, and costly fans behind which have 
shone the dark eyes of the belles of Havana ; 
furniture of the colonial period, of which the New 
England stock was long ago exhausted by the 
demands of curiosity-hunters, and silver and 
china of antiquated patterns, which would be 
marked up to the highest figures in fashionable 
New York stores. The pressure of hard times 
caused by the losses of the patriotic w^ar and by 
the stupendous folly and supreme selfishness of 
Spanish economic law have brought all this wealth 
of bric-a-brac into the cheapest of cheap markets. 
The pawnbroker names his price, and it is a low 
one ; but if he be offered one-half or one-third as 
much, he will drive a bargain rather than see an 



no CUBA. 

American customer with gold in hand leave the 

shop. 

A Hard Barsfain. 

It may be well to warn American travelers 
against venturing into this quarter until the sights 
of the town have been ''done," the drives taken, 
and the excursions made ; for otherwise they may 
leave Havana without seeing anything except the 
railway station, their hotel, and the pawn-shops. 
A New Yorker and his charming wife got into 
the pawn-shops soon after their arrival, and they 
remained there almost continuously until the 
Tampa steamer was ready to sail. The husband 
started out early each morning for Compostela 
Street ; in the afternoon his wife accompanied him 
to temper his ardor, and in the evening he 
returned alone to clinch the bargains. Sunday 
brought with it some scruples of conscience, and the 
wife succeeded in carrying him off to high Mass at 
the Cathedral ; but after the noon-breakfast he was 
overpowered by the fatal fascination and crept 
back to the pawn-shops for more bargains, re- 
turning with a guilty conscience, but laden with 
booty. 

On the following day the interpreter was fairly 
compelled to drive him out of the pawn-shops in 
order to get him on board the steamer before the 
sailing hour. Retribution for Sabbath-breaking 
met him on deck in the person of the medical 



>3 

I 



1 




" S-^S^W^iS^-fs." 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 1 3 

officer employed by the United States authorities 
to protect the health of Florida. 

This stern official refused to allow a tall 
colonial clock, which had been bought at a pawn- 
shop, boxed and carried like a coffin to the ship 
to be received as private baggage. He remarked 
sententiously that it was an old clock, and might 
have germs of yellow fever concealed under its 
antique dial-plate. A long parley proved ineffect- 
ual, and the suspected clock was sent ashore to 
the medical officer's house to be quarantined. 
Two days afterwards it was sent to Florida by the 
next steamer. What precautions had been taken 
to- disinfect the clock, and to render its shipment 
safe is not known ; but there was a fee of two 
dollars paid for the quarantine. Private baggage 
containing fabrics which might more reasonably 
be supposed to be disease carriers was not over- 
hauled ; but Florida was protected with inflexible 
purpose against the risks of contagion through an 
old clock. 

Iflatanzas. 

The decadence of a once prosperous and 
beautiful city is a melancholy spectacle. Matan- 
zas in its best days was a luxurious centre of 
wealth and fashion, as well of profitable industry 
and commerce. Surrounded with sugar, coffee 
and tobacco plantations, it ranked after Havana as 
the busiest hive in flowering Cuba. All the Indus- 



114 



CUBA. 



tries of the Island were carried on with success 
on the verdant hillsides and undulating plains 
encircling its spacious and picturesque harbor. 
The Yumuri Valley was dotted with country 
seats, where rich planters entertained their 
guests with prodigal hospitality. Their massive 
town houses were miniature palaces built with 
showy colonnades and stone verandas, and fur- 
nished with lavish expense. On the coast were 
their summer cottages, where their families could 
enjoy the refreshing northern sea-breeze in 
seasons of inclement heat. The San Carlos 
Paseo was blocked with carriages in the after- 
noon, and the evenings were filled with gayety 
and sumptuous entertainment. All is now 
changed. Emancipation and the insurrection 
impoverished the rich planters. Many of the 
finest estates passed into the hands of Spanish 
immigrants and adventurers, who have been con- 
demned to maintain an exhausting and ruinous 
struggle against a system grounded upon viola- 
tions of economic law. Planters who have 
escaped confiscation and conformed to the con- 
ditions of free labor have witnessed the gradual 
shrinkage of the profits of their industries and the 
collapse of their fortunes. Costly residences which 
were once valued at $150,000 are now offered, 
without purchasers, at $25,000. Depreciation of 
values is even greater here than in Havana. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. II5 

Country seats which were conspicuous for ele- 
gance and social festivity are now bare, silent 
and fallen to decay. The seaside villas are 
shabby and tenantless. The famous San Carlos 
drive is a neglected and unfrequented road. 
Matanzas is a centre of unremunerative, labor- 
ious and unsatisfactory commerce, a city haunted 
with memories of its former prosperity. 

All is changed save the beauty of the land- 
scape setting of the city and the unrivalled 
splendor of the marine views from hillside and 
headland. No grander prospect can be had in 
Cuba than that which opens from the Chapel of 
Monserrate back of the town. The Yumuri 
flows through a gorge four miles in length, which 
is walled off to the right and left by abrupt and 
picturesque hillsides. There is a wide-reaching 
vista beyond with plantations of sugar, coffee and 
tobacco, groves of palmettos, pineapples, cocoa- 
nuts and orange trees, thickets of almond trees 
and limes, fields of corn and patches of potatoes, 
and here and there a stately royal palm. From 
one of the highest coigns of vantage near the 
city may be seen plantations and farms on which 
every fruit and product known in Cuba is under 
cultivation ; and the landscape is fringed with 
dense woods, wherein ebony, mahogany, cedar 
and even rosewood, flourish. From Monserrate 
it is a short drive to the Plaza de Armas, with its 



I 1 6 CUBA. 

fine display of tropical flowers, to the Govern- 
ment buildings and club houses and the water 
front ; but it is on a moonlit evening that the bay 
roads offer superior scenic attractions. The vivid 
sunlight lays bare mercilessly the faded glories of 
the town and the ravages of commercial ruin. 
By moonlight, one needs to be told of the 
neglected condition of these once famous drives 
and promenades ; and the pathos of faded gran- 
deur and exhausted fortunes makes only a transi- 
tory impression upon a sympathetic mind. San 
Severino Castle and the ruined fortifications are 
enveloped with silvery radiance. The San Juan 
River, with its dingy lines of crumbling ware- 
houses, is softened and transfigured. The broad 
bay, with its sparkling shipping lights and the 
ocean beyond, foaming upon a coral ledge, are 
silhouettes to be seen and never forgotten. 
A ^Wonderful Cave. 
The visitor has also at Matanzas a natural 
phenomenon which cannot be rivalled in Cuba. 
This is the subterranean passage through a for- 
mation of carbonate of lime, known as the caves 
of Bellamar. The road follows the shore of the 
bay and then over the rocky hillside for a distance 
of five miles. The old-fashioned volante, a vehicle 
which has been displaced in Havana by the 
Victoria, is here required. It has two great 
wheels, on which rest the thills, with seats for 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. II J 

three above them suspended by straps. The 
pony between the thills is accompanied and 
partly preceded by another, which the driver rides 
like a postilion. It is a hard, jolting drive to the 
caves, and a laborious descent by steps, bridges, 
and cavernous passages underground. Guides 
are in advance with long bees-wax tapers, which 
light up here and there recesses and corners of 
the high-vaulted chambers. The ceiling is hung 
with crystals, and the sides are buttressed with 
stalactites and stalagmites of bewildering beauty 
and lustre. The passage underground is many 
hundred feet in length and offers a succession of 
spectral lace-work combinations of crystal archi- 
tecture in amber, pink, and gray. The largest of 
the chambers is fancifully named the Gothic 
Temple, and is provided with a jeweled altar, 
near which hangs the Virgin's cloak, embroidered 
with resplendent lace, and heavy with glistening 
pendants. The garrulous guides see all these 
wonders if the visitors do not, and photographs 
are available at the entrance, if doubts are 
to be removed. The tapers furnish streaks 
of light that are utterly inadequate to illumine 
these wonderful caves. This is one drawback 
upon the visitor's enjoyment, but not the only 
one. The heat in the subterranean vaults is 
intolerable. If one could pass through the caves 
in the same airy costume which the little negro 
7 



Il8 CUBA. 

boys and girls affect in the poorer quarters of 
Havana and Matanzas — that is, in brass ear-rings, 
and nothing else — the excursion would be fairly 
comfortable. That is hardly practicable, and an 
involuntary Turkish bath with clothes on, and a 
subsequent drive in the sea-breeze, are the penal- 
ties paid for a visit to Bellamar. Admission to a 
laboratory where nature's refined processes of 
crystallization are revealed in the drops of water 
hanging from the dripping stalactites ought to 
cost something in addition to the expensive fees 
of the guides. 

A Modern City. 

Cienfuegos, the terminus of one line of 
steamers, and of the Western railway system of 
Cuba, is a modern town built since the present 
century opened. It has a fine harbor and a grow- 
ing trade, and is the commercial centre of thirty 
of the largest sugar plantations of the island. 
While having only one-half of the population of 
Santiago, it is a cleaner, more cheerful and more 
interesting town. It has excellent hotel accom- 
modations for this latitude, and with the sugar 
plantations near-by, offers much entertainment to 
strangers. 

"From the balcony upon which the window 
of my room opens," says a visitor, ''can be seen 
the graceful outlines of the Trinidad Mountains, 
very pleasant to look upon after the level, monoto- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. II9 

nous Stretch of country I had been riding through 
for a week at the bottom of the calk, the shining 
waters of the harbor, its docks Hned with two- 
masted saiHng vessels which run between this 
port and Havana, and the wharves piled high 
with merchandise from Europe and America. In 
the neighborhood of 1 15,000 tons of sugar were 
shipped from this port last season, and some of 
the largest and best equipped ingenios in Cuba 
are within a few hours' ride of it." 
Travelling: in Culia. 
From Cienfuegos there are two routes to 
Havana. One is by railway, involving an early 
start, four changes of cars and a full day's ride. 
The other is by steamer to Batabano, requiring a 
night and a morning on the sea, and a two hours' 
journey by rail across the island. The second is 
preferable on many accounts, and especially 
because the steamer scenes are characteristic of 
the country, and therefore especially interesting 
to strangers. Each steamer carries cattle in the 
lower deck, and a motley company of Spanish 
soldiers and noisy Cubans. The soldiers camp 
out on deck, and lie mummied in their blankets 
while they sleep, and in the morning they are fed 
from kettles, the spoon psssing from man to man, 
very much as the pipe of peace is smoked in an 
Indian camp. There are a noisy rabble, shouting, 
gesticulating and singing when they are not 



I20 CUBA. 

sunning themselves on deck with their blankets 
wrapped about their heads like clumsy hoods. 
The Cubans do not fraternize with the soldiers, 
but remain at the other end of the boat, singing, 
gambling In the saloon and lingering affection- 
ately over their cocktails. A dozen nuns are 
among them, watching the roystering scenes with 
unaffected interest, and cautiously retiring to a 
quiet corner when the uproar becomes scandalous. 
As the steamer approaches the wharf atBatabano 
there Is a medley of singing, shouting and swear- 
ing, with the accompaniment of accordions, guitars 
and fifes. Cubans, like all Spanish-Americans, 
are passionately fond of noise and excitement. 
It Is what makes their life worth living. 

A train Is already drawn up to carry the 
passengers of the crowded steamer to Havana ; 
but It is a long, dreary time before it is in motion. 
There are two engines at hand and switches con- 
veniently placed for the rapid making up of trains ; 
but neither one nor the other is used. A pair of 
oxen is employed in hauling one car after another 
into place, while the engines stand motionless on 
the track. Why the engines are not brought 
into use to facilitate the operation and to start 
the train on time the most Ingenious Yankee will 
be unable to find out. Possibly it is because 
Columbus used oxen for making up his trams when 
he first visited Cuba, and the Spanish ruling class 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 12 1 

does not favor radical reforms. As for the rolling- 
stock to be seen on this railway, there can be no 
question respecting its identity. It was used in 
taking the live stock out of the Ark and has 
never been painted nor oiled. 

Sanfiagfo Marfsor. 
The Southern coast of Cuba opens at Cape 
Maisi with barren highlands and heavily-wooded 
mountains, and ends in the west with level plains 
sentinelled by palms with waving plumes. There 
is one Caribbean seaboard that rivals it in bold- 
ness and beauty — the mountainous coast of 
Venezuela ; but there are no harbors on the 
Spanish main to be compared with those of 
Guantanamo, Santiago, and Cienfuegos. Santi- 
ago harbor seen at daybreak is a glorious spec- 
tacle which stirs the pulses of the most sluggish 
traveler, and remains in the memory a silhouette 
of entrancing beauty. The rock-bound coast sul- 
lenly opens its granite gates and jealously guards 
the entrance to a spacious bay flanked by moun- 
tains. One of the giant cliffs, sloping abruptly 
seaward, is crowned with a gray and yellow 
fortress. So narrow is the entrance that the ship 
seems to pass directly under the antique battle- 
ments and Moorish turrets, and sentinels on the 
stone terraces and the prisoners behind the barred 
windows are almost within call, save that the 
breakers underneath the green bank are filling 



I 2 2 CUBA. 

with uproar the cavernous depth of the rocky 
buttresses. The harbor opens and widens as the 
ship sails on until it is a placid expanse of 
sheltered water with blue mountains encircling it, 
and the city a long way in the distance trans- 
figured in the golden light of a tropical morning. 
Like Rio, it lies among hills with mountains 
encamped about it, with islands bristling with for- 
tifications and with seaward defences which could 
be made impregnable, even with meagre engi- 
neering skill. Like Rio, also, it is a foul and 
shabby town, unworthy of its magnificent sur- 
roundings. 

A Xo'wn of Ancient Dirt. 
Santiago was founded by Velasquez in 15 14, 
and its streets have never been swept to this day. 
There are incrustations of mould on the Cathe- 
dral walls and there is the dust of ages on the 
low-browed tiled roofs of the crumbling, dilapi- 
dated, tiled houses. In other Spanish-American 
towns dirt is painted over or whitewashed at 
least once in a decade ; but here it passes for 
time-stain and is considered quaint and venerable. 
The streets are padded with slime and filth, and 
the city, with its population of 45,000, is in the 
worst possible sanitary condition. There is a 
dingy plaza where on Sunday evenings a band 
plays and young and old walk briskly up and 
down for two hours. During the week it is de- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 23 

serted and has an untidy, neglected aspect. The 
Cathedral is a large but unsightly structure, filled 
with tawdry decorations and cheap statues. The 
Government buildings are antiquated and shabby; 
the shops are uninteresting ; and the houses 
are low-built structures, remarkable chiefly for 
the absence of glass in the windows and for the 
advanced stages of decay which the cracked, 
sunken and bungling walls disclose. There is a 
good club-house for foreigners — one of the re- 
deeming features of this unfortunate town — and 
a few of the American and English sugar mer- 
chants have clean and comfortable offices ; but 
these are almost the only signs of civilization. 
The horses which drag the cumbrous volantes 
over the broken cobblestones are skeleton hacks 
looking much the worse for wear. The very 
dogs in the alleys have lean cadaverous faces. 
The bookwriters, I am aware, draw a very differ- 
ent picture of Santiago from this ; but I saw 
nothing in it that was bright and cheerful except 
the genial face of the American Consul, in his 
comfortable and well-furnished offices. 

Santiago is a city rich in traditions and 
memories of nearly four centuries of Spanish rule 
on the island. It was a stronghold against the buc- 
caneers and privates who made Guantanamo their 
rendezvous, and it was also the base of operations 
against the insurgents in the long and disastrous 



124 CUBA. 

Civil War. The picturesque Morro, at the 
entrance of the harbor has been for many gener- 
ations a dungeon where poUtical offenders have 
been confined and tortured, and among the low 
buildings adjoining the barracks the men of the 
'' Virginius " were put to death. A short distance 
up the coast, on the line of one of the mining 
railways, was the hiding place of Tweed when he 
escaped from New York in a yacht and was 
transferred to a ship heading for Spain. There 
is a cabin pointed out to travelers as the one 
where he enjoyed the hospitality of a burly 
mulatto ; but it is only a substitute for it, fur- 
nished for the sake of perpetuating a tradition 
interesting to American tourists. The cabin in 
which he slept and played a mild game of poker 
to while away the time caught fire not long ago 
from sparks from a passing engine, and was 
burned to the ground. The mulatto still lives 
and has embellished the original tale of the rescue 
of the refugee Tammany statesman until it can 
hardly be recognized by those who first listened 
to the recital. Tweed presented him with a 
drinking cup on the eve of sailing for Spain, and 
this he exhibited for a long time with an air of 
conscious superiority. Mercenary motives finally 
proved irresistible, and he was induced to sell 
the cup to a relic hunter, who has carried it back 
to New York. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 25 

Cuban Railroads. 

*' From Cardenas," says the traveller already 
quoted, "my journey took me through the green 
and fertile sugar-cane country, in an easterly 
direction from Havana, stopping at Sagua la 
Grande, Caibarien, Camajuani and Cienfuegos 
on the southern coast. The ' vestibuled limited' 
has not made its appearance here yet, but the 
rates are about three times as hieh as those 
charged in the States. Perhaps the traveler's 
comfort will be looked after in the sweet by-and- 
by; at present the first-class coaches are inferior 
in every way to the ordinary smoking cars in use 
on our American roads, while the second and 
third class passengers occupy plain box cars with 
hard, narrow seats, ill-smelling and dirty ; smok- 
ing is permitted in all the cars, as your true 
Cuban would be entirely at sea without a cigar 
or cigarette between his teeth two-thirds of the 
time. 

'' No trains are run during the night, and 
stops are made at every little village on the line ; 
and as one station is exactly like another, a long 
trip by rail becomes very monotonous. At every 
stop your ear is invaded by venders of fruit, the 
daily papers, and lottery tickets. The venders 
call out the numbers of the tickets they have for 
sale, adding that such a number is 'very nice,' 
*sure to win,' etc. 



126 CUBA. 

" It is surprising to note the quantities of 
men, women and children that gain a fair Hving 
by the sale of government lottery tickets. In 
many cases a child of eight or ten years will earn 
enough to support the head of the family in idle- 
ness ; meantime the poor little ones are growing 
up in an atmosphere of vice and ignorance, 
instead of being educated and fitted to earn an 
honest, respectable living. The government 
makes a good thing out of its lottery, however, 
and that settles the matter. 

One Clean Xo"wn. 

*'Sagua is perhaps the cleanest of all the 
towns I have seen — the only point of difference 
between it and any other place. It has the usual 
Plaza d'Armas facing the hotel ; on the opposite 
side is the Casino, flying the Spanish flag of red 
and yellow; to the east is the familiar old yellow 
Iglesia, and on the west a few stores and a cafe. 
Nearly every block has its cafe and barber shop, 
and they are generously patronized. The signs 
above the stores rarely bear the names of the 
proprietors, but instead inform the passer-by that 
their respective shops are 'Without Rivals,' 
'Without Competition,' 'The Elegant,' 'Golden 
Lion,' and so on. I think it was in Sagua that I 
passed 'The White Horse Inn'; and I half 
expected to find within an English barmaid dis- 
pensing 'alf an' 'alf to her thirsty customers. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 27 

A Tile Motel. 

*'In the seaport city of Caibarien, about 150 
miles east of the capital, the Hotel Internacional 
was recommended to me by a person whom I had 
never wronged, and I found it the vilest inn I had 
ever put up at. My room — a den some fifteen 
feet by twelve — contained a small, hard bed, one 
chair, a tin wash basin, and a comb, which latter I 
judged had found much favor with former occu- 
pants of the apartment. The door was but little 
over a foot in width, and upon inquiry I found 
that it was so made for the purpose of keeping 
out the joyous mosquito, which attains a luxuriant 
growth in this climate and is equipped with a 
large bass voice. The office and bar-room were 
full of tough-looking characters, some of whom 
kindly accompanied me to the cafe and watched 
me while I ate, a delicate attention which was 
keenly appreciated. 

" I found the coolest and most comfortable 
spot in the office of our consular agent, who gave 
me a very cordial welcome and a glass of gin, 
which he assured me was much safer to drink 
than the water." 



CHAPTER V. 



THE PEOPLE OF CUBA — CLASSES OF THE PEOPLE 

THE WOMEN OF CUBA IN THE CITIES SOCIAL 

OCCUPATIONS BEGGARS — PICTURESQUE SCENES 

A THRIFTY CHURCHMAN AT A CUBAN HOTEL 

THE ROOMS AND THEIR OCCUPANTS THE OR- 
DER OF THE DAY AMONG THE LEPERS THE 

EVENING PROMENADE THE CIGARETTE SHOP- 
PING STREET SCENES CRIPPLES HOW CUBAN 

LADIES DRESS VIRTUE AND VICE EDUCATION, 

RELIGION, AND LITERATURE. 




UBA, while the most accessible, is also 
the most representative foreign country 
which Americans can visit, at least in 
the West Indies, or on their own continent. 
Havana, whether more or less Cuban than it is 
Spanish, is a city utterly unlike any large Ameri- 
can centre of population. There are vivid con- 
trasts of architecture, foliage, and customs. 
From the moment of passing the grim Morro, 
the Cabanas fortifications, and the battery at the 
Punta, the visitor is conscious of being among an 
alien race, whose sympathies, manner of life, ideas 
of morals and religion, and habits of recreation 
are not in accord with his own. The experience 

(128) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 29 

cannot be anything less than an agreeable one, 
even if the traveler be so fortunate as to have had 
a wide range of Europe. Those who find the un- 
ceasing activity of American life wearing upon the 
nerves are refreshed by the contemplation of a 
race that neither hurries nor frets, but basks in 
the atmosphere that is not too enervating to be 
positively enfeebling. To watch a Cuban unroll 
and re-make a cigarette and then deliberately light 
it and lazily smoke it is to get a new idea of the 
refinement to which the sweets of indolence can 
be carried. To see a drove of cows milked early 
in the morning from door to door, at the leaky 
dust-carts filled with street-sweepings by garru- 
lous gangs of lazy workmen ; to hear a hand-bell 
rung up and down the station platforms as the 
signal for the starting of the train, or to spend an 
hour in inspecting the fatiguing process of hauling 
and switching cars by ox-teams ; to see the mon- 
teros in the markets playing dice while waiting for 
customers, or the shopkeepers in Obispo Street 
taking a midday siesta in their chairs, indifferent 
to the chances of trade ; to feel the thrill of ex- 
citement that passes through a Cuban audience 
when an opera singer acts out her part, even if 
she sings indifferently well, or to hear the chorus 
of bravos at a bull-fight or in a cock-pit at the 
crisis of revolting exhibitions from which an 
Anglo-Saxon turns away in horror and disgust ; 



1 30 CUBA. 

to observe the languid, pulsating movement of 
life in Havana from the opening of the cafes in 
the early morning to the abandonment of the 
paseos at midnight by the lottery venders, the 
Chinese peddlers and the somnolent hackmen — 
these are experiences which convince an Ameri- 
can that a miniature Spain, with a Castilian capital, 
has gone adrift from the peninsula, and been 
moored off the Florida coast. 

Classes of tlie People. 
The people of Cuba comprise four distinct 
classes. First, there are the Spaniards, natives 
of Spain, who have come to Cuba for various rea- 
sons. Some have ''left their country for their 
country's good.'^ Some have come to amass a 
fortune. Most of them have come to hold office. 
They are proud and arrogant as a rule, and re- 
gard the native Cubans as their inferiors, though 
some of them have loyally adopted Cuba as their 
home, and cast in their lot with the patriots. 
There are, in all, about 200,000 of them. 

Next come the Creoles, or native Cubans. 
These are pure-blooded Spaniards, descended 
from the original settlers of the island. They are 
the real Cuban people. Physically they are fully 
the equals, perhaps the superiors, of the Spaniards ; 
as they are intellectually and morally. They num- 
ber nearly 1,000,000 strong. 

The negroes, now happily all free, form the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I3I 

third class, numbering about 600,000. They are 
not much different from the negroes of our own 
Southern States. As a rule they are strongly 
attached to the Cubans, and hate the Spaniards. 

Finally, there are a few descendants of the 
Indians, who inhabited the island at the time of 
its discovery by Columbus, but they are so few 
as scarcely to be worth mention. 

Of the Spaniards a small, but not incon- 
siderable fraction, although not taking an active 
part in the war, sympathize with and are support- 
ing it in various ways. Of the Cubans, whether 
negro or white, all are in sympathy with 
the revolution, with the exception of a few 
individuals who hold positions under the 
Spanish Government or are engaged in enter- 
prises which cannot thrive v/ithout it. All of the 
Cubans who have had the means and the oppor- 
tunity to join the revolutionary army have done 
so, while those who have been compelled for one 
reason or another to remain in the cities are 
co-operating to the best of their abilities. 
Xlie Women of Cuba. 

Notwithstanding the decline in the fortunes 
of the planters, their houses are very agreeable 
interiors and their hospitality is unaffected and 
charming. It is difficult for a foreigner to break 
the ice and to establish confidential relations with 
the planters ; but, when this has been done, invi- 



132 CUBA. 

tations follow and there are frequent glimpses of 
Cuban home-life. So rigid are the requirements 
of custom and etiquette that it is only at home 
and in the presence of members of the household 
that well-born daughters are to be seen at all. 
They are not suffered to go out alone before mar- 
riage. It is even considered indecent for them to 
walk in the streets, so that they are always in car- 
riages and attended by chaperones when they 
have calls to make or shopping to do. It is only 
when they are at home in the conventional recep- 
tion-rooms, furnished with long rows of cane- 
seat rocking-chairs, that their acquaintance can 
be made, and then only under the watchful 
supervision of the senoras. After marriage 
they are supposed to be able to take care of 
themselves. 

They are little women ; short in stature, 
plump, and well-rounded in figure ; graceful and 
supple in movement, with dark eyes that flash at 
night and melt by day. Like the beautiful wild 
flowers of the Cuban woods, they mature very 
early and they fade as rapidly. The prettiest 
girl will be plain long before she is thirty. Hand- 
some women in middle life are never seen in 
the tropics, but only in the temperate zone. 
The beauty and charm of Cuban women is 
evanescent, but real and irresistible while it 
lasts. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 33 

In tlie Cities. 

Cuban cities are so much alike in appear- 
ance that having seen one you have seen all. In 
the centre of the town you will find the Plaza, 
with its gardens of flowers, a small statue or two, 
and three or four tall, straight palm trees. The 
houses extend clear to the narrow sidewalk ; 
their walls adjoining their neighbors on either 
side, so that each street presents a long, low, 
irregular line of buildings without a break from 
one end to the other. You may stand on the 
walk, thrust your arm through the iron-barred 
window of any of the dwellings and shake hands 
with the proprietor, if you happen to know him. 
The family carriage is driven in and out through 
the front entrance of the house, which is high and 
wide enough to admit a circus chariot ; the carriage 
being left in the hall by the side of the staircase 
(if the house has two stories), while the horses are 
stabled just beyond against the wall. In some of 
the best houses in Havana one may look in 
through the open door and see a handsome coach 
in the hall and the horses calmly eating their oats, 
while the coachman sits by a little table rolling 
cigarettes, for which some factory pays him so 
much a hundred. 

Social Occupations. 
In the smaller towns of a Sunday evening 
the entire population puts on its best attire and 
8 



134 CUBA. 

spends several hours in the Plaza greeting 
acquaintances and gossiping with friends. Pos- 
sibly at lo o'clock there may be a ball at the 
Casino or a concert at the theatre ; if not, the 
square is soon after deserted, and the quiet of a 
country church-yard descends on the town. 

Social life is very simple ; there are no 
dances or social functions of any kind in the 
private houses, as everything of that nature is 
held in the Casino or club. In the evenings the 
men visit their club, or gather at the cafes smok- 
ing and consuming dulces and sweet drinks, while 
their women for the most part sit at home by the 
grated widows rocking and fanning themselves ; 
not a very exciting life, surely ! There seems to 
be no small social gatherings so common among 
our people, and as a Cuban lady once said to me, 
*' A Cuban girl has nothing but marriage to look 
forward to" — there is nothing for her absolutely 
except or beyond that. 

Beggars abound and flourish everywhere, 
some crippled, others blind or enfeebled by age, 
not a few unable to walk by reason of natural and 
cultivated laziness ; but the most unpleasant per- 
sons of this favored class are the ones that stop 
by the open window of the cafe, when you are 
breakfasting or dining, and hold up the stump of 
a shriveled arm for your inspection, or carefully 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 35 

remove the bandages from a sore toe ! You are 
glad to give up a few coppers to rid yourself of 
such a nuisance. The Cubans are very kind and 
generous to the unfortunate, and on Saturdays 
most of the stores and cafes have a supply of 
fruit, bread, food of various kinds, and matches, 
from which the poor and needy are allowed to 
help themselves— a curious custom, and one that 
is observed all over the island, even in the small- 
est village. 

Picturesque Scenes. 

The artist will find Cuba a rich field for the 
exercise of his talents. He will find such sights 
as will fill his soul with joy ; types of strange 
people ; lovely blue and crushed strawberry one- 
storied houses ; curious old cathedrals, gray and 
worn with age ; priests in long black cassocks, 
and severe of countenance ; pretty Cuban girls 
with great, dark eyes ; turbaned negro women 
black as their African ancestors ; old women and 
children selling lottery tickets on the streets ; 
beggars picturesque in their dirt and rags ; 
queer carriages and carts of ancient style and 
build ; and bull-fighters strutting proudly up the 
Prado. 

For a real, yonder negress, carrying on her 
head an immense basket of white linen fresh 
from the wash, will pose for you. She is puffing 
at a cigarette, and has just stooped to pick up a 



136 CUBA. 

half-burned cigar, which she tucks away behind 
her ear for future use. 

A Xlirifty Cliurcliiuan. 

There is in Havana an ancient church where 
for 2l peseta you may be allowed to secure some 
views that are not to be purchased at the shops. 
The sacristan is very jealous of his charge, but is 
not above earning an extra coin now and then, 
since the world is so full of foolish people with 
things they call kodaks — and then, por Dios ! one 
must live ! He speaks a rare and wonderful 
English, too, and will show you some relics of the 
saints that have worked strange miracles in days 
past. 

'' I made a visit to this church," says a cor- 
respondent, " in the company of an American 
commercial traveler ; a skeptical fellow and with- 
out a proper regard for serious things. The old 
sacristan had led us from one relic to another 
without arousing a spark of enthusiasm or interest 
in my friend, and at last paused before a case 
with a show of much importance. 

*'I go-a to show you," he said Impressively, 
'' some wonderful ting ; is bone of Colon ! Some- 
time man ver sik, he come here and one kiss zis 
bone and go vey some more all right ! Yo no 
likee kiss him, eh ? " 

''Well, I guess no !" said our American, ''it's 
much too musty; besides," tapping the guide 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 39 

knowingly on the shoulder, "between you and me, 
I don't believe Christopher ever owned this bone. 
Why, man, they have got a hip-bone or a lock of 
hair or a couple of back teeth in every other 
church on the island, all belonging to Columbus ! 
He is too badly scattered, see? Why don't you 
collect the remnants and give him a decent burial 
like a Christian?" 

*' The sacristan locked up his precious relic 
and with a shrug and a sigh opened the great 
door of his church and we passed out again into 
the bright sunlight ; but as he turned the key in 
its lock he detained me a moment saying : '' I no 
like zat man, he muy malo; but you, si, you come 
other time and I show you many interestings ! " 
At a Cuban Motel. 

An American lady gives the following account 
of her experiences at Havana hotels : 

''There was but one clerk at the desk, and 
he did not pay the slightest attention to the 
crowd of would-be guests. He chatted with 
an acquaintance, wrote a few notes, called up 
some one on the telephone, and continued to 
smoke all the time. 

"At the end of three-quarters of an hour pa- 
tience became a crime. Our leader leaned over 
the desk, clutched the clerk's arm, and said : 
' Can you and will you listen to me ? I have 
several ladies in my party. They are tired, and 



1 40 CUBA. 

it isn't pleasant for them to wait all day in this 
office. What rooms can you give us ? ' 

"The clerk apparently woke up. He yawned, 
smiled blandly, and murmured : ' Rooms ? Oh, 
we have no rooms. They are all occupied.' 

"For a few minutes the air was tremulous with 
good, substantial American swear-words. Two 
priests, who had been waiting patiently for some 
evidence of attention from the clerk, touched our 
spokesman's arm. 

"'Sir,' said one of them, 'your language, 
reprehensible as it might be ordinarily, is per- 
fectly excusable now ! ' 

"Then we drove to another hotel and got ex- 
cellent rooms." 

Xhie Rooms and their Occupants. 

Most of the hotels are three stories high. 
The first or ground floor is given over to dining- 
rooms, offices, etc. The second and third floors 
are devoted to sleeping apartments. The third 
floor is always the one to choose, because, being 
farthest from the ground, it is comparatively free 
from insects and dirt. In our ignorance we 
chose front rooms on the second floor at first ; 
but we soon changed them. The dust was thick 
on the floors, and our comfort was disturbed by 
mammoth cockroaches scampering hither and 
thither. We spoke to the hotel manager about 
the animals, but he shrugged his shoulders and 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I4X 

laughed as he replied, ''The good animal ; he no 
hurt you." Fleas, of course, are everywhere ; 
but one soon gets used to them. 

The rooms are large and well ventilated. 
The floors are of tile or marble, the walls of 
stone. The doors are wooden, painted light blue 
or pink. There is no glass in the windows, but 
there are two sets of shutters, one of lattice-work, 
the other of iron. There are no carpets on the 
floors, but there is a rug at the side of each bed, 
and there are frequently several beds in a room. 
There are no bureaus. The bedsteads are very 
high ; they are made of iron and have square lace 
canopies, partially for ornament and partly to 
protect one from flying cockroaches. The bed- 
ding is of the sofest old linen, and one lonely 
blanket is given to each guest. 

Tlie Order of tlie Day. 

When you are in Cuba, you should do as the 
Cubans do ; that is, if you have any regard for 
your health and comfort. Therefore it is in order 
to arise at six, eat a light breakfast of fruit and 
coffee, do your shopping and sight-seeing imme- 
diately afterward, and return to your hotel for a 
second and heartier breakfast at ten o'clock. At 
noon every one retires. Some people actually go 
to bed and stay there all the afternoon, but as a 
rule, Americans simply shut themselves up with 
a book and a fan, clothe themselves in the lightest 



142 CUBA. 

and easiest of dressing-gowns, and idle away the 
hours that intervene between almuerzo and 
dinner. 

Nearly all tourists in Havana drive around 
the city and its outskirts at about five o'clock ; 
and if sight-seeing is the object in view, this is the 
best time. But those who drive for driving sake, 
wait until nine or ten o'clock in the evening, 
when the air is cool and pleasant. The charges 
for carriage hire vary with the customer's nation- 
ality. Americans pay more than any one else. 
They rm invariably charged $1.50 by the hour, 
other foreigners pay $1.25, and natives never 
give over ninety cents for the same length of 
time. You can drive to any given point in the 
city limits for twenty cents, unless you cross a 
street called Belascoin avenue, when the rates 
are doubled. The hackmen take advantage of 
strangers by driving across this avenue and then 
they are legally entitled to the extra fare. 
Amons: tlie I^epers. 

An unpleasant feature of one of the most 
popular drives is the nauseating odor which im- 
pregnates the air near the hospital of San Lazaro. 
As the streets of Havana are very narrow, one 
often comes within five feet of the hospital in 
driving by it. It is a huge, gloomy-looking build- 
ing devoted to lepers. On the ground floor there 
is a large courtyard, opening on the street in front 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 43 

and divided from it by an iron grating. Dozens 
of lepers in the first stages of the disease wander 
around this courtyard or gather near the grating, 
conversing and even shaking hands with friends 
outside. 

Tlie Kvening: Promenade. 

Sunday is the 'gala-day of the week, as is 
customary in Spanish-American towns. The 
clergy are so accommodating as to have the last 
service in the Cathedral over by nine or ten 
o'clock in the morning. This leaves nearly a full 
day for cock-fights, horse-races, and the evening 
promenade in the Plaza, which has a broad stone 
walk lined at the sides with benches for the ac- 
commodation of chaperons. It is a handsome 
square, well lighted by electricity and bordered 
by the best buildings of the town — the Cathedral, 
theatre, public library, a large club-house and a 
popular cafe. 

The Cigrarette. 

Contrary to the general supposition, Cuban 
ladies never smoke in public, though they indulge 
in cigarettes at home. The only women that 
smoke in the streets are negresses, and they are 
addicted to thick, black cigars. The men, Cubans, 
Spaniards, colored and Chinese smoke continually 
everywhere, except in church. You hire a car- 
riage; before the driver picks up his reins he 
lights a cigarette. You enter a shop ; the clerk 



1 44 CUBA. 

puffs smoke in your face as he shows you his 
wares. 

In certain departments of the cigarette 
factories, very young children are employed. 
They seem perfectly happy and contented. They 
are not over cleanly in appearance, but they all 
have beautiful dark eyes. Most of them smoke 
as they work. It seems strange to see an eight- 
year-old girl with a cigarette in her mouth, but 
one gets used to the sight. 

One of the largest cigar factories in the city 
occupies the palace which once belonged to 
Aldama, the revolutionist leader. With all the 
rest of his property, it was confiscated by the 
Spanish Government, and is now owned by the 
factory proprietors. The ceilings are all frescoed 
with the exquisite designs of cupids, nymphs and 
flowers. The stairways and floors are of the 
finest marble, and there is the inevitable court- 
yard, with a fountain in the centre. 
Stiopping:. 

The famous shopping street in Havana is the 
Calle Obispo, and the shop that is most attractive 
to Americans is that of Manuel Carranza. All 
the Havana tradesmen are courteous, but Car- 
ranza, who is a Mexican, outdoes any of them in 
this respect. Learning that an American woman 
desired to purchase some typical Cuban music, he 
left his shop at the busiest part of the day, escorted 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 45 

her to a music store, aided her in selecting songs, 
and when she had made her purchase, informed 
her that he would accompany her on any shopping 
excursion she might desire to make. 

Cuban and Spanish tradesmen are very 
different. Cubans do not care whether you buy 
or not ; they set a price, and if you do not care 
to pay it you must do without the desired article. 
They will not condescend to bargain with you. 
Spaniards, on the contrary, invariably ask a dollar 
or two more for their wares than they expect you 
to pay. 

Most of the shops are open on the street in 
front ; that is to say, no wall divides them from 
the sidewalk. Marble or stone pillars replace the 
absent partition, and in many cases these pillars 
are decorated with rough paintings of the articles 
sold in the shops they ornament. 

The joys of shopping are known to Cuban 
women only in a restricted way. Bargain count- 
ers are unheard of, and such shops as there are 
would be accounted third-rate in an American 
town. There are no set prices. The shopman 
asks for his wares whatever he thinks he can get, 
doubling his price if he perceives that his cus- 
tomer is an American. He extols the merits of 
his goods in a frantic outburst of Spanish with a 
pantomime of gesture, and reduces his price only 
after a heated argument, if it becomes evident 



146 • CUBA. 

that there is a serious risk of losing his customer 
altogether. The principal objection to shopping 
in Cuba is that there is nothing to buy. There 
are no manufactures characteristic of the country. 
Everything is imported, the grade of goods is 
low, and the prices are much higher than in New 
York. The shops are very small ; they are all 
on the ground floor, and few have more than one 
room. Until recently the pawn-shops have offer- 
ed the most attractive opportunities to travelers 
for the purchase of souvenirs in treasure-trove of 
old silver, antique jewelry, fans and laces at low 
prices. 

street Scenes. 

To an American visitor the streets of a Cu- 
ban town present an endless succession of curious 
pictures. They are different in every respect 
from what one is accustomed to see at home. 
They are so narrow that two vehicles can hardly 
pass each other. They are paved with rough 
stones ; the sidewalks average about eighteen 
inches in width ; and pedestrians have to walk 
single file, and in order to pass any one are forced 
to step into the road. In the streets are seen 
clumsy carts, broad and heavy, yet drawn by a 
single mule whose defective locomotive power is 
compensated for by excessive decoration. The 
mule's harness is studded with brass ornaments. 
Over his forehead is a sort of head-dress of wool, 




Avenue of Royal Palms, Havana. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 49 

and on each side hang large tassels of scarlet. To 
complete his costume there is a huge bunch of 
bells fastened between his shoulders. The negroes 
who drive these carts wear clothes of linen, orig- 
inally white, and caps of red woolen stuff For 
drawing timber oxen are yoked to a pair of great 
wheels. From the axle the timbers are suspended, 
projecting over the heads of the oxen and trailing 
on the ground behind. Every omnibus is hung 
with curtains along the sides, and a gong is con- 
stantly ringing. Coach hire is cheap, the charge 
being twenty cents for a double fare for ordinary 
distances. The coaches are small victorias, and 
are drawn by thin little horses at a furious pace. 
Some really handsome private carriages with fine 
horses and liveried coachmen and footmen are 
sometimes seen. Negroes carry all burdens on 
their heads, generally in large open shallow bas- 
kets. Laundresses may be seen balancing on 
their heads a load of freshly ironed linen, and they 
are followed by women bearing market supplies 
of fresh fruit and vegetables, with a live chicken 
peeping from the basket. Droves of cows with 
calves bleating behind them are driven from door 
to door and milked to order. Strings of pack 
mules straggle along, laden with fodder corn tied 
in so huge a bundle on each side of the animal 
that only the nose and feet are to be seen, and 
each mule's halter is fastened to the tail of the 



1 50 CUBA. 

one next in front. A common sight is the large 
flexible basket of rushes hung panier-like across 
the back of a mule, the driver going on foot. The 
venders of street wares carry them on their heads 
with an appliance that looks like a plank a foot 
wide and four feet long, with an oblong box in 
the centre. In the box are the smaller articles, 
while everything that can be hung is suspended 
along the sides. Gay colored handkerchiefs, rib- 
bons, laces and embroideries flutter in the breeze, 
concealing the head and shoulders of the vender. 
Cripples. 
Whoever loses a limb or is otherwise injured 
in Cuba immediately turns his misfortune to 
account as a matter of business by exhibiting 
himself and begging in the streets. These 
maimed and deformed creatures are to be seen 
everywhere. They sit at the doors of churches, 
patrol the ferries and railway stations, and thrust 
their loathsome deformities into sight in the cafes 
and hotel duiing-rooms. I even saw in front of 
a theatre after an evening performance a hideous, 
.misshapen child in a rolling chair drawn so close 
to the door that one could not help but pass her. 
The dogs are as numerous as the beggars. Not 
one well-bred, intelligent dog have I seen in 
Cuba, but scores of curs of all sizes and degrees. 
They invade the hotel dining-rooms and beg at 
the tables unmolested. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I5I 

Havana is one of the noisiest of cities. Night 
and day an uproar of loud talk arises from cafes 
and restaurants, and there is ceaseless bustle in 
the streets. Little bands of militia are con- 
stantly marching about accompanied by shrill 
bands of music. Their uniform is of a narrow 
blue and white striped linen goods, and they 
wear panama hats. There are military guards 
on every side, lounging in front of the official 
palaces and In the dusty little parks. At night 
the Central Park is filled with strollers, the en- 
trances of the places of amusement are blocked 
with seat-speculators crying their numbers, and 
the lottery-boys are plying their trade at every 
street corner. Havana has an atmosphere of its 
own, and it is utterly unlike that of any American 
city. This is Its chief charm for the American 
visitor. It Is essentially foreign, and conse- 
quently full of entertainment. 

Mo^w Cuban I^adies Dress. 

The mild climate makes It possible for women 
to wear light, airy costumes all the year round. 
Indeed, a dress of woolen material or any heavy 
fabric seems unknown. Black lace is the favorite 
material for dresses among the upper classes. 
Cuban ladles are seen In the shops or In the 
streets In dresses of black lace, the waist cut half- 
low both back and front ; and the sleeves reaching 
only to the elbow, A mantilla is thrown grace- 



152 CUBA. 

fully over the head, and draped loosely about the 
shoulders. The mantilla is the prevailing head- 
dress for rich and poor alike, varying from the 
finest Spanish lace of silk to the coarsest cotton 
imitation, but invariably black for the street, 
church or drivinof — white beinor reserved for full- 
dress. White lawns with showy colored figures 
are popular, as well as challies, veiling and 
grenadines. These are generally made up with 
one skirt and a fancy waist, and are often elab- 
orately trimmed with ribbons. Lavender is the 
most popular color, and is worn in all its numer- 
ous shades without regard to the clearness of the 
complexion. This may be because Cuban women 
do not allow the natural tint of the skin to be 
seen, so thickly do they powder their faces, which 
gives them an unnatural, chalky look. The 
colored people display their innate love of dress 
to advantage. A favorite device is to dress from 
head to foot in one tint. ''I saw one negress as 
black as ink attending Mass at the Cathedral in 
Havana with a complete costume of salmon 
color," says an American correspondent. ''The 
dress, of some clinging stuff, was simply made 
in long flowing lines, entirely without trimming, 
and there was a long scarf of the same goods 
wound around her head and shoulders. Another 
negress at the same service was similarly arrayed, 
in white, even to her shoes. She had a handsome 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 53 

face, and the contrast of her white muslin scarf 
against her dark skin was most effective. 

"Only the lower classes of Cuban women can 
go about unattended. It is an invariable rule 
that a lady must have an escort, either a relative 
or a servant. Little girls must be escorted to 
school, or to their music-lessons. Ladies must be 
attended to church, to the shops, and in making 
visits.'* 

Virtue and Vice. 

The seclusion in which Cuban women are 
kept has the natural result. A girl or unmarried 
woman is kept under strict guardianship. But 
after she is married, she manages to make up for 
it. Probably not even the women of Paris and 
Vienna are gayer than those of Havana, or more 
given to flirtations, more or less innocent. Some- 
times too often, indeed, they " kick over the 
traces," altogether, and go to the bad. There is 
a considerable quarter of Havana practically 
given up to houses of ill-fame, many of which are 
occupied by pure-blooded Creole women and girls, 
some of tender age. The most of them are oc- 
cupied, however, by negroes, mulattoes, and 
quadroons. As a rule, these women remain in- 
doors, or at any rate on the streets in their own 
part of town. You seldom find them in the Park. 
Nor is there any reason why they should go from 
home. Their quarter of the city is perfectly well 
9 



154 CUBA. 

known and easily accessible to all who wish to 
visit it. 

The morality of the Cubans, both men and 
women, is probably about the same as in any 
similarly situated country. The worst sinners 
against the moral code are the Spaniards who 
have come over for a time, to hold office or to 
make money. It is common, and thought not at 
all disgraceful, for a man to have a family of 
mulatto children, in addition to his own legitimate 
white family. Indeed, the morals of the Spanish 
element, on the whole, are about what they were 
in olden times, when Cervantes wrote of Cuba : 
''The island is the refuge of the profligates of 
Spain, a sanctuary for murderers, a skulking-place 
for gamblers and sharpers, and a receptacle for 
women of easy virtue — a place of delusion to 
many, of amelioration to few." 

Education, Rellsfion and I^iterature. 

From the beginning education has been sadly 
neglected in all parts of Cuba. It is estimated by 
careful observers that not more than one child iii 
ten among the white population receives instruc- 
tion of any kind. Even among the higher classes 
of society liberal education is only scantily dif- 
fused. There are, of course, a few literary and 
scientific men, most of them educated abroad, and 
before the great Ten Years' War, the question of 
establishing an adequate system of public instruc- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 55 

tion was widely discussed among the Creole 
population. At Havana and Santiago there were 
formed learned societies whose object was to 
promote the cause of popular education and 
popular industry. But the Ten Years' War 
checked this movement, and since that time mat- 
ters have orone on much as before. 

The chief institution of learning is the Royal 
University at Havana, which comprises schools of 
medicine and law. There is also an Institution 
called the Royal College of Havana. A similar 
institution to the latter is to be found at Puerto 
Principe. There are theological schools, also, at 
Havana and Santiago. • In each of the principal 
cities there are one or more private schools. But 
none of these are accessible to the mass of the 
people. Accordingly illiteracy and Ignorance are 
generally prevalent throughout the Island. 

In such a state of affairs It is not to be sup- 
posed that any literary or journalistic activity 
worthy of consideration has been manifested. 
The Island has almost no literature. In Havana 
there are published a few daily and weekly pa- 
pers. Several lesser journals are elsewhere printed 
on the island. But their means of obtaining in- 
formation of the affairs of the world are most 
meagre. They are, moreover, under a rigid po- 
litical censorship, which absolutely prevents any- 
thing like freedom of speech. At times, of course, 



156 CUBA. 

when the island has been tranquil, a considerable 
latitude of expression has been allowed. But as 
there has generally been some political disturb- 
ance somewhere on the island, such periods of 
grace have been few and brief. The slightest in- 
surrection, or even manifestation of political dis- 
content, has always been sufficient, practically, to 
suppress all freedom of speech and of journalism. 
Practically, the only religion on the island is 
that of the Roman Catholic Church. At first 
there was only one diocese, which included not 
only all Cuba, but also Louisiana and Florida. In 
1788, however, Cuba was divided into two dio- 
ceses, each embracing about half of the island. 
The eastern diocese, that of Santiago, was in 
1804 erected into an archbishopric, while that of 
Havana still remains under a bishop. In early 
years there was no such thing known as religious 
toleration, and the Inquisition flourished in its 
fullest severity. Even as late as the early part 
of the present century every visitor's baggage 
was carefully searched for heretical books, which, 
if found, were invariably confiscated and destroyed. 
At present a fair amount of religious freedom ex- 
ists, but no Church beside the Roman Catholic 
has made any material progress on the island. 



CHAPTER VI. 



HOW THE ISLAND IS GOVERNED — THE CAPTAIN- 
GENERAL FREEDOM OF THE PRESS LOCAL 

GOVERNMENTS ELECTORAL TRICKERY ' ' NO 

CUBANS NEED APPLY" THE SPANISH SENATE 

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CUBANS CARPET-BAG- 
GERS TO THE FORE IN THE LOCAL OFFICES 

SQUEEZING THE ORANGE THE AWFUL BURDEN 

OF DEBT— TREATMENT OF NATIVE INDUSTRY 

BAD COMMERCIAL LAWS CUBA RUINED FOR THE 

SAKE OF SPAIN SALARIED CARPET-BAGGERS- 
GOVERNMENT BY PLUNDER EXPOSURE OF 

FRAUDS NO PUNISHMENT FOR RASCALS NO 

PERSONAL SAFETY FOR CUBANS THE PARADISE 

OF BANDITS NO SECURITY FOR PROPERTY 

INDUSTRIES DRIVEN TO BANKRUPTCY NO PUBLIC 

INSTRUCTION THE ANNUAL BUDGET. 




ORRUPT and incapable administration 
has always been a Spanish character- 
istic. Cuba has been reduced to its 
present extremities largely through the rapacity 
of the governing class in former years. If there 
has been a marked improvement during recent 
years so that the Captain-General now expects to 
return to Spain only with what he has saved from 
his salary, and the burden of direct taxation has 
been decreased rather than increased, it is be- 
cause the industrial resources of the island have 

(157) 



158 CUBA. 

been exhausted through old-time methods of 
plundering the population and systematic viola- 
tion of the economic laws of exchange. The 
orange has been pressed dry ; even Spanish ad- 
ministration does not attempt to squeeze the 
seeds remaining on the spongy pulp. For this 
reason sugar planters and tobacco farmers are 
now frank in admitting that the direct taxes on 
their land and industries are not unduly high. 
It is the burden of indirect taxation by which the 
cost of living and of production is heavily in- 
creased and the exchangeable value of sugar and 
tobacco correspondingly reduced that is over- 
whelming this wonderfully fertile island with ruin. 
The country is poor and impoverished ; the 
palaces of the nobles are deserted ; there has 
been an extraordinary shrinkage of real estate 
valuations ; the treasury is exhausted with ex- 
travagant payments for an inefficient and corupt 
civil service and the interest on the war debt, 
which is held in Spain ; and the municipalities are 
without means for ordinary public improvements 
and enforcing sanitary regulations. Havana is 
capable of becoming what Humboldt found it in 
his day — one of the most brilliant and imposing 
capitals of the world. The old city was well 
built of enduring stone, which only grows harder 
with the lapse of time. The Cathedral, churches 
and public buildings were fashioned at a time 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 59 

when severe and simple architecture without 
meretricious ornamentation was in vogue in 
Spain. Even the great prison, which Is the most 
prominent object from the harbor, Is not without 
good hnes. The newer portions of the town are 
well laid out with broad shaded avenues, fre- 
quent squares and breathing places, a spacious 
alameda and a fine botanical garden adjoining 
the Captain-General's country seat. Even in its 
ruined estate, where public grounds are neglected, 
street pavements in great need of repair, and 
the whole town fairly perishing for lack of fresh 
paint, poor, faded Havana has an air of distinction 
and even grandeur. 

With good administration the city could be 
transformed in a decade. A canal constructed so 
as to let the tides into the back bay would flush 
out a harbor that is now a cesspool and restore 
the healthfulness of the town. Moderate expen- 
ditures could restore the crumbling plaster of the 
public buildings, replace the broken lines of 
shade trees in the avenues, and restore the bright- 
ness and glory of the Cuban capital. Havana 
now awaits, like a queen in tattered, patched and 
soiled robes, the turn of the wheel which shall re- 
invest her with the dignity of her prosperous days 
of power and wealth. So long as Spanish ad- 
ministration and a ruinous economic policy con- 
tinue in force, It Is a lottery with blanks. 



l6o CUBA. 

Tlie Captain-General. 

The chief of the Cuban Government is a 
Captain-General, the representative of the Crown, 
appointed by the home Government and account- 
able only to that body. By a royal edict issued June 
9th, 1878, his prerogatives are defined as follows : 
He is the commander of the army and navy, as 
well as the highest authority in Cuba, and is em- 
powered to overrule any decision at a meeting of 
the superior authorities, including the courts of 
judicature under his presidency, and also to with- 
hold the execution of any order, resolution or law 
issued by the home Government whenever he 
deems it advisable to do so. Practically, he has 
the powers of life and death in, his hands and is 
as absolute as a Czar. 

As a rule, this office is highly coveted by 
Spaniards, and, generally speaking, after a short 
rule, which rarely exceeds a term of three or four 
years, the majority of its incumbents return home 
to enjoy the fruits of the harvest, as the emolu- 
ments are considerable. The Captain-General 
has a salary of $50,000 a year, a winter palace 
and a country-seat, horses, carriages, attendants, 
a retinue of servants, and almost everything, pro- 
vided for him at the expense of the Government. 
It is a military office, usually filled by distin- 
guished generals, who have won their laurels in 
the Spanish army. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. l6l 

Next in rank to the Captain-General is the 
General of Marine or Admiral of the Port, who 
occupies a handsome palace, also provided by 
the Government, and who has carriages, horses 
and attendants from the same source. Then 
follows the Segundo Cabo, who is Captain- 
General pro temy during the absence of that 
functionary from the capital. The Civil-Governor 
has charge of the civil administration of Havana. 
The generals of artillery, cavalry, engineers, 
infantry and gendarmes are also provided with 
quarters suitable to their ranks. 

The Commandant of the Navy Yard is next in 
rank to the Admiral of the Port, and he has a 
handsome residence at his post. From twelve to 
twenty men-of-war are stationed in the waters of 
Cuba, and the standing army on the island usually 
numbers 22,866 officers and men. Besides these 
military rulers there are the Governor of the 
Morro, of La Cabana, El Principe and other 
strongholds. 

The chief of police of Havana is an officer of 
the regular army, and the divisions and subdivi- 
sions under his control consist of commissaries, 
aladores, constables and sergeants, who are civil- 
ians ; the police force of Havana numbers "j^"] 
men, taken from the ranks of the regular army, 
soldiers of or den publico (public order) and guar- 
dia civiles (gendarmes). 



1 62 CUBA. 

freedom of tlie Press. 

At the close of the rebelhon, or so-called 
Cuban insurrection in 1878, freedom of the press 
was established, as well as freedom of speech, 
but in 1 88 1 this freedom was modified by an 
edict requiring every editor or manager of a 
newspaper to send, duly signed, two copies to 
Government headquarters and submit two others 
to the District-Attorney as soon as printed, who 
shall determine whether they contain any objec- 
tionable matter. By the press law the royal 
family and the form of government under the 
Spanish Constitution are tabooed subjects. Ed- 
itors are often fined and the publications of their 
journals is suspended for going beyond the cir- 
cumscribed limits. 

By a royal edict issued June 9, 1878, Cuba is 
entitled to elect to the Spanish Cortes one repre- 
sentative for every 40,000 white and colored 
inhabitants. By another decree, issued shortly 
after, the island was divided into six provinces. 
Still another, issued June 21, 1878, provided 
municipal laws, supplemented with requisite elec- 
tion laws. In each province the administration 
of affairs is committed to an Assembly, elected 
by the people, and a Governor sent out from 
Spain, the incumbent being an officer of the 
Spanish army. The province is entitled to three 
representatives for every one of its judicial dis- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 63 

tricts, except that no province shall elect more than 
twenty or less than twelve representatives. As 
soon as the provincial representatives are elected 
they meet and nominate by ballot three candidates 
from among themselves, one of whom is chosen 
president by the Captain-General, who may, in 
accordance to the same law, discard their candi- 
date and choose another to preside over it. The 
Provincial Governor selects five Assemblymen as 
members of the Provincial Committee and submits 
their names to the Captain -General for ratification. 
This committee serves as arbiter or counsellor 
when called on in reference to any municipal 
election, and performs various duties during the 
recess. The vice-president of this committee is 
appointed from among the members by the 
Captain-General, at the suggestion of the Pro- 
vincial Governor, who, when it suits him, may 
preside over any sitting, with the right to vote. 
lyocal Oovermnents. 
Provincial representatives are elected for 
four years, but one-half are replaced every two 
years by new ones. Their biennial election 
occurs during the first fortnight of September. 
The assemblies meet at the capital of their pro- 
vinces on the first working day of the fifth and 
tenth months of the fiscal year. If during that 
period anything should happen to render discus- 
sions or debates dangerous, the Provincial Gov- 



1 64 CUBA. 

ernor is obliged to prorogue the Assembly and 
advise the Captain-General of that fact imme- 
diately. He is likewise authorized to suspend 
any Provincial Assembly in a body when the 
preservation of public order may so require. 

According to the municipal law, the smallest 
number of inhabitants entitled to self-government 
is 500, who may elect five Aldermen, at every 
meeting of whom the Provincial Governor is 
entitled to preside. The board levies municipal 
taxes. 

Cuba possesses two judicial divisions, those 
of Puerto Principe, with jurisdiction over the 
adjoining province of Santiago de Cuba, and of 
Havana, with jurisdiction over the remainder. 
First comes the high court, called Tribunal Su- 
premo ; then provincial courts, ''Audiencias 
Territoriales"; country magistrates, "Tribunales 
de Partido"; court of first instance, "Juggado de 
Instruccion"; municipal courts, Tribunales Muni- 
cipales, and justices of the peace, "Jueces de 
Paz." By a decree issued in January, 1891, the 
civil and criminal courts are incorporated into 
one, and this measure has been highly displeas- 
ing to Cubans. 

Electoral Trickery. 

In order to render the native Cuban power- 
less in his own country, Spain, legislating for 
Cuba without restriction, as it does, and only to 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 65 

give him an electoral law so artfully framed as to 
accomplish two objects : First, to reduce the num- 
ber of voters ; second, to give always a majority 
to the Spaniards, that is, to the European colo- 
nists, notwithstanding that the latter represent 
only nine and three-tenths per cent, of the total 
population of Cuba. To this effect it made the 
electoral right dependent on the payment of a 
very high poll tax, which proved the more burden- 
some as the war had ruined the larger number of 
Cuban proprietors. In this way it succeeded in 
restricting the right of suffrage to only 53,000 in- 
habitants in an island which has a population of 
1,600,000 ; that is to say, to the derisive propor- 
tion of three per cent, of the total number of in- 
habitants. 

In order to give a decided preponderance 
to the Spanish-European element, the electoral 
law has ignored the practice generally observed 
in those countries where the right to vote depends 
on the payment of a poll tax, and has afforded all 
the facilities to acquire the electoral privilege to 
industry, commerce, and public officials, to the 
detriment of the territorial property (the owner- 
ship of real estate). To accomplish this, while 
the rate of the territorial tax is reduced to two 
per cent., an indispensable measure, in view of 
the ruinous condition of the land-owners, the ex- 
orbitant contribution of ^25 is required from those 



1 66 CUBA. 

who would be electors as freeholders. The law 
has, moreover, thrown the doors wide open for the 
perpetration of fraud by providing that the simple 
declaration of the head of a commercial house is 
sufficient to consider all its employees as partners, 
having, therefore, the right to vote. This has 
given us firms with thirty or more partners. By 
this simple scheme almost all the Spaniards re- 
siding in Cuba are turned into electors, despite 
the explicit provisions of the law. Thus it comes 
to pass that the municipal district of Guines, with 
a population of 13,000 inhabitants, only 500 of 
which are Spaniards and Canary Islanders, shows 
on its electoral list the names of thirty-two native 
Cubans and of four hundred Spaniards — only 
0.25 per cent, of the Cuban to 80 per cent, of 
the Spanish population. 

No Cubans Need Apply, 

But, as if this were not enough, a so-called 
Permanent Commission of Provincial Deputations 
decides every controversy that may arise as to 
who is to be included in or excluded from the 
list of electors, and the members of this Commis- 
sion are appointed by the Governor-General. 
It is unnecessary to say that its majority has 
always been devoted to the government. In 
case any elector considers himself wronged by 
the decision of the Permanent Commission, he 
can appeal to the *'Audiencia" (higher court) of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 67 

the district; but the ''Audiencias" are almost en- 
tirely made up of European magistrates ; they 
are subject to the authority of the Governor- 
General, being mere political tools in his hands. 
As a conclusive instance of the manner in which 
those tribunals do justice to the claims of Cuban 
electors, it will be sufficient to cite a case which 
occurred in Santa Clara in 1892, where 1,000 
fully qualified liberal electors were excluded at 
one time, for the simple omission to state their 
names at the end of the act presented by the 
elector who headed the claim. In more than one 
case has the same '' Audiencia" applied two dif- 
ferent criteria to identical cases. The ''Au- 
diencia" of Havana, in 1887, ignoring the explicit 
provisions of the law, excused the employees 
from the condition of residence, a condition that 
the same tribunal exacted before. The same 
''Audiencia" in 1885 declared that the contribu- 
tions to the State and to the Municipality were 
accumulative, and in 1887 decided the opposite. 
This inconsistency had for its object to sponge 
from the lists hundreds of Cuban electors. In 
this way the Spanish Government and tribunals 
have endeavored to teach respect for the law and 
for the practice of wholesome electoral customs 
to the Cuban colonists ! 

It will be easily understood now why on 
some occasions the Cuban representation in the 



1 68 CUBA. 

Spanish Parliament has been made up of only 
three deputies, and in the most favorable epochs 
the numbei of Cuban representatives has not 
exceeded six. Three deputies in a body of 430 
members ! The genuine representation of Cuba 
has not reached sometimes 0.96 per cent, of the 
total number of members of the Spanish Con- 
gress. The great majority of the Cuban depu- 
tation has always consisted of Spanish Peninsu- 
lars. In this manner, the ministers of "Ultramar" 
(ministers of the Colonies), whenever they have 
thought necessary to give an honest or decent 
appearance to their legislative acts by an alleged 
majority of Cuban votes, could always command 
the latter, that is, the Peninsulars. 

Thie Spanisli Senate. 
As regards the representation In the Senate, 
the operation has been more simple still. The 
qualifications required to be a Senator have proved 
to be an almost absolute prohibition to the Cubans. 
In fact, to take a seat in the higher house, it is 
necessary to have been president of that body or of 
Congress, or a minister of the crown, or a bishop, 
or a grandee of Spain, a lieutenant-general, a vice- 
admiral, ambassador, minister plenipotentiary, 
counsellor of State, judge or attorney-general of 
the Supreme Court, of the Court of Accounts, 
etc. No Cuban has ever filled any of the above 
positions, and scarcely two or three are grandees. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 69 

The only natives of Cuba who can be Senators 
are those who have been deputies in three differ- 
ent Congresses, or who are professors and have 
held for four years a university chair, provided 
that they have an income of $1500 ; or those who 
have a title of nobility, or have deputies, provin- 
cial deputies, or mayors in towns of over 20,000 
inhabitants, if they have in addition an income of 
$4000, or pay a direct contribution of ^800 to the 
treasury. This will increase to one or two dozen 
the number of Cubans qualified to be Senators. 

In this manner has legislative work, as far as 
Cuba is concerned, turned out to be a farce. The 
various governments have legislated for the 
island as they pleased. The representatives of 
the peninsular provinces did not even take the 
trouble of attending the sessions of the Cortes 
when Cuban affairs were to be dealt with ; and 
there was an instance when the estimates (budget) 
for the Great Antilles were discussed in the pres- 
ence of less than thirty deputies, and a single one 
of the ministers, the minister of "Ultramar," 
(session of April 3, 1880). 

Discrimination Agfainst Culians. 

Through the contrivance of the law, as well 
as through the irregularities committed and con- 
sented in its application, have the Cubans been 
deprived also of representation in the local cor- 
porations to which they were entitled, and in 
10 



1 70 CUBA. 

many cases they have been entirely excluded from 
them. When, despite the leg'alized obstacles and 
the partiality of those in power, they have 
obtained some temporary majority, the Govern- 
ment has always endeavored and succeeded in 
making their triumph null and void. Only once 
did the home-rule party obtain a majority in the 
Provincial deputation of Havana, and then the 
Governor-General appointed from among the 
Spaniards a majority of the members of the Per- 
manent Commission. Until that time this 
Commission has been of the same political com- 
plexion as the majority of the Deputation. By 
such proceedings have the Cubans been gradually 
expelled, even from the municipal bodies. Suffice 
it to say that the law provides that the derramas 
(assessments) be excluded from the computation 
of the tributary quotas, notwithstanding that they 
constitute the heaviest burden upon the municipal 
taxpayer. And the majorities, consisting of 
Spaniards, take good care to make this burden 
fall with heavier weight upon the Cuban pro- 
prietor. Thus the latter has to bear a heavier 
taxation with less representation. 

This is the reason why the scandalous case 
has occurred lately of not a single Cuban having 
a seat in the "Ayuntamiento " (Board of Alder- 
men) of Havana. In 1891 the Spaniards pre- 
dominated in thirty-one out of thirty-six ''Ayunta- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 171 

mientos " in the province of Havana. In that of 
Guines, with a population of 12,500 Cuban inhab- 
itants, not a single one of the latter was found 
among its councillors. In the same epoch there 
were only three Cubans deputies in the Provincial 
Deputation of Havana ; two in that of Matanzas, 
and three in that of Santa Clara. And these are 
the most populous regions in the island of Cuba. 
Carpet- Bas:s:ers to tlie Fore. 

As, on the other hand, the government of 
the Metropolis appoints the officials of the colony, 
all the lucrative, influential and representative of- 
ficers are secured to the Spaniards from Europe. 
The Governor-General, the regional and the pro- 
vincial governors, the "intendentes," comptrollers, 
auditors, treasurers, chiefs of communications, 
chiefs of the custom-houses, chiefs of administra- 
tion, presidents and vice-presidents of the Spanish 
bank, secretaries of the government, presiding 
judges of the '' Audiencia," presidents of tribu- 
nal, magistrates, attorneys-general, archbishops, 
bishops, canons, pastors of rich parishes, all, with 
very rare exceptions, are Spaniards from Spain. 
The Cubans are found only as minor clerks in the 
government offices, doing all the work and re- 
ceiving the smallest salaries. 

From 1878 to this date there have been 
twenty governors in the province of Matanzas. 
Eighteen were Spaniards and two Cubans. But 



172 CUBA. 

one of these, Brigadier-General Acosta, was an 
army officer in the service of Spain, who had 
fought against his couritr^^men ; and the other 
Sefior Gonzales Munoz, is a bureaucrat. During 
the same period there has been only one native 
Cuban acting as governor in the province of 
Havana, Sefior Rodriguez Batisa, who spent all 
his life in Spain, where he made his administrative 
career. In the other provinces there has never 
probably been a single governor born in the 
country. 

In 1887 there was created a council or board 
of Ultramar under the Minister of the Colonies. 
Not a single Cuban has ever been found among 
its members. On the other hand, such men as 
Generals Arminan and Pando have held positions 
in it. 

In tlie I^ocal Offices. 

The predominance of the government goes 
further still. It weighs with all its might upon 
the local corporations. There are deputations in 
the provinces, and not only are their powers re- 
stricted and their resources scanty, but the 
Governor-General appoints their presidents and 
all the members of the permanent commissions. 
There are '' Ayuntamientos" elected in accord- 
ance with the reactionary law of 1877, restricted 
and curtailed as applied to Cuba by Senor Cano- 
vas. But the Governor-General appoints the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 1 75 

mayors, who may not belong to the corporation, 
and the governor of the provmce appoints the 
secretaries. The government reserves moreover 
the right to remove the mayors, of replacing 
them, and of suspending the councillors and the 
" Ayuntamientos," partly or in a body. It has 
frequently made use of this right, for electoral 
purposes, to the detriment always of the Cubans. 
As may be seen, the crafty policy of Spain 
has closed every avenue through which redress 
might be obtained. All the powers are centered 
in the government of Madrid and its delegates 
in the Colony ; and in order to give her despotism 
a slight varnish of a representative regime, she 
has contrived with her laws to secure complaisant 
majorities in the pseudo-elective bodies. To 
accomplish this purpose she has relied upon the 
European immigrants, who have always sup- 
ported the government of the Metropolis, in 
exchange for lasting privileges. The existence 
of a Spanish party, as that of an English party 
at one time in Canada, has been the foundation 
of Spanish rule in Cuba. Thus, through the 
instrumentality of the laws and the government 
a regime of castes has been enthroned there, 
with its outcome of monopolies, corruption, im- 
morality and hatred. The political contest there, 
far from being the fruitful clash of opposite ideas, 
or the opposition of men representing different 



1 76 CUBA. 

tendencies, but all seeking a social improvement, 
has been only a struggle between hostile factions, 
the conflict between infuriated foes, which pre- 
cedes an open war. The Spanish resident has 
always seen a threat in the most timid protest of 
the Cuban— an attack upon the privileged posi- 
tion on which his fortune, his influence and his 
power are grounded ; and he is always willing to 
stifle it with insult and persecution. 
Squeezing: tlie Orangfe. 

What use the Spanish Government has made 
of this power is apparent in the three-fold spolia- 
tion to which it has submitted the island of Cuba. 
Spain has not, in fact, a colonial policy. In the dis- 
tant lands she has subdued by force, Spain has 
sought nothing but immediate riches, and these it 
has wrung by might from the compulsory labor 
of the natives. For this reason Spain to-day in 
Cuba is only a parasite. Spain exploits the island 
of Cuba through its fiscal regime, through its 
commercial regime and through its bureatic 
regime. These are the three forms of official 
spoliation ; but they are not the only forms of 
spoliation. 

When the war of 1878 came to an end, two- 
thirds of the island were completely ruined. The 
other third, the population of which had remained 
peaceful, was abundantly productive ; but it had 
to face the great economical change involved in 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 77 

the impending abolition of slavery. Slavery had 
received its death-blow at the hands of the insur- 
rection, and Cuban insurrectionists succeeded at 
the close of the war in securing its eventful aboli- 
tion. Evidently it would have been a provident 
policy to lighten the fiscal burdens of a country in 
such a condition. Spain was only bent on making 
Cuba pay the cost of the way. The Metropolis 
overwhelmed the colony with enormous budgets, 
reaching as high a figure as $46,000,000, and this 
only to cover the obligations of the State ; or, 
rather, to fill up the unfathomable gulf left by the 
wastefulness and plunder of the civil and military 
administration during the years of war, and to 
meet the expenses of the military occupation of 
the country. Here follow a few figures : The 
budget for the fiscal year of 1878 to 1879 amounted 
to $46,594,000; that of 1879 to 1880 to an equal 
sum; that of 1882 to 1883, to $35,860,000 ; that of 
1883 to 1884, to 34,180,000; that of 1884 to 1885 
to the same sum ; that of 1885 to 1886, to $34,- 
169,000. For the remaining years, to the present 
time, the amount of the budget has been about 
$26,000,000, this being the figure for 1893 to 
1894, and to be the same by prorogation for the 
current fiscal year. 

The gradual reduction that may be noted was 
not the result of a desire to reduce the over- 
whelming burdens that weigh upon the country ; 



1 78 CUBA. 

it was imposed by necessity. Cuba was not able 
by far to meet such a monstrous exaction. It was 
a continuous and threatening deficit that imposed 
these reductions. In the first of the above-named 
years the revenue was $8,000,000 short of the 
budget or appropriations. In the second year the 
deficit reached the sum of $20,000,000. In 1883 
it was nearly $ 1 0,000,000. In the following years, 
the deficits averaged nearly $4,500,000. At pres- 
ent the accumulated amount of all these deficits 
reaches the sum of $100,000,000. 

Tlie Awful Burden of Debt. 

As a consequence of such a reckless and 
senseless financial course, the debt of Cuba has 
been increased to a fabulous sum. In 1868 it 
owed $25,000,000. When the present war broke 
out the debt, it was calculated, reached the net 
sum of $190,000,000. On the 31st of July, 1895, 
the Island of Cuba was reckoned to owe $295,- 
707,264 in bulk. Considering its population, the 
debt of Cuba exceeds that of all the other Ameri- 
can countries, including the United States. The 
interest on this debt imposes a burden of $9.79 
on each inhabitant. The French people, the most 
overburdened in this respect, owe only $6.30 per 
inhabitant. 

This enormous debt, contracted and saddled 
upon the country without its knowledge; this 
heavy load that grinds it and does not permit its 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 79 

people to capitalize their income, to foster its 
improvements, or even to entertain its industries, 
constitutes one of the most iniquitous forms of 
spoliation the island has to bear. In it are in- 
cluded a debt of Spain to the United States ; the 
expenses incurred by Spain when she occupied 
San Domingo ; those for the invasion of Mexico 
in alliance with France and England ; the expen- 
ditures for her hostilities against Peru ; the money 
advanced to the Spanish Treasury during its 
recent Carlist wars ; and all that Spain has spent 
to uphold its domination in Cuba and to cover 
the lavish expenditures of its administration since 
1868. Not a cent of this enormous sum has 
been spent in Cuba to advance the work of im- 
provement and civilization. It has not contributed 
to build a single kilometre of highway or of rail- 
road, nor to erect a single light-house, or deepen 
a single port ; it has not built one asylum or 
opened one public school. Such a heavy burden 
has been left to the future generations, without a 
single compensation or benefit. 

Treatment of Native Industry. 
Let us see now what Spain has done to per- 
mit at least the development of natural wealth 
and the industry of a country impoverished by 
this fiscal regime, the work of cupidity, incompe- 
tency and immorality. Let us see whether that 
nation has left at least some vitality to Cuba, in 



l8o CUBA. 

order to continue exploiting it with some profit. 
This economical organization of Cuba is of the 
simplest kind. It produces to export, and imports 
almost everything it consumes. In view of this it 
is evident that all that Cuba required from the 
State was that it should not hamper its work with 
excessive burdens, nor hinder its commercial rela- 
tions ; so that it could buy cheap where it suited 
her and sell her products with profit. Spain 
has done all the contrary. She has treated to- 
bacco as an enemy. She has loaded sugar with 
excessive imposts ; she has shackled with excess- 
ive and abusive excise duties the cattle-raisino- 
industry ; and, with her legislative doings and un- 
doings, she has thrown obstacles in the way of 
the mining industry. And to cap the climax, she 
has tightly bound Cuba in the network of a mon- 
strous tariff and a commercial legislation which 
subjects the colony, at the end of the nineteenth 
century, to the ruinous monopoly of the producers 
and merchants of certain regions of Spain, as in 
the halcyon days of the colonial compact. 

The district which produces the best tobacco 
in the world, the famous Vuelta Abajo, lacks 
every means of transportation afforded by civili- 
zation, to foster and increase the value of its pro- 
ducts. No roads, no bridges, or even ports are 
found there. The State in Cuba collects the 
taxes, but does not invest them for the benefit of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. l8l 

any industr}^ On the other hand, those foreign 
countries, desirous of acquiring the rich tobacco- 
raising industry, have closed their markets to this 
privileged product, by imposing upon it excessive 
import duties while the Spanish government bur- 
dens its exportation from Cuban ports with a duty 
of ^i.8o on every thousand cigars. Is this not a 
stroke of actual insanity ? 

Bad Commercial I^a^ws. 
Everybody is aware of the tremendous crisis 
through which the sugar industry has been pass- 
ing for some years, owing to the rapid develop- 
ment of the production of this article everywhere. 
Every government has hastened to protect its 
own by more or less empirical measures. This 
is not the place to judge them. What is impor- 
tant is to recall the fact that they have endeavored 
to place the threatened industry in the best con- 
dition to withstand the competition. What has 
Spain done in order, if not to maintain the strong 
position held before by Cuba, at least to enable the 
Colony to carry on the competition with its every 
day more formidable rivals ? Spain pays bounties 
to the sugar produced within its own territory, 
and closes its markets to the Cuban sugar, by im- 
posing upon it an import duty of ^6.20 per hun- 
dred kilograms. It has been calculated that a 
hundredweight of Cuban sugar is overburdened 
when reaching the Barcelona market with 143 per 



1 82 CUBA. 

cent, of its value. The Spanish government op- 
presses the Cuba producer with every kind of ex- 
actions ; taxes the introduction of the machinery 
that is indispensable for the production of sugar, 
obstructs its transportation by imposing heavy 
taxes on the railroads, and winds up the work by 
exacting another contribution called industrial 
duty, and still another for loading or shipping, 
which is equivalent to an export duty. 

Cuba Ruined for tlie Sake of Spain. 

Still, if Spain was a flourishing industrial 
country and produced the principal articles re- 
quired by Cuba for the consumption of its people, 
or for developing and fostering its industries, the 
evil, though always great, would be a lesser one. 
But everybody knows the backwardness of the 
Spanish industries, and the inability of Spain to 
supply Cuba with the products she requires for 
her consumption and industries. The Cubans 
have to consume or use foreign goods. The 
Spanish merchants have found, moreover, a new 
source of fraud in the application of these anti- 
quated and iniquitous laws ; it consists in nation- 
alizing foreign products for importation into 
Cuba. 

As the mainspring of this senseless com- 
mercial policy is to support the monopoly of 
Spanish commerce, when Spain has been com- 
pelled to deviate from it to a certain extent by an 



as 




FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 8$ 

international treaty, it has done so reluctantly and 
in the anxious expectation of an opportunity to 
nullify its own promises. This explains the acci- 
dental history of the Reciprocity Treaty with the 
United States, which was received with joy by 
Cuba, obstructed by the Spanish administration 
and prematurely abolished by the Spanish Govern- 
ment as soon as it saw an opportunity. 

The injury done to Cuba, and the evil effects 
produced by this commercial legislation are be- 
yond calculation ; its effects have been material 
losses, which have engendered profound discon- 
tent. The " Circulo de Hacendados y Agricul- 
tores," the wealthiest corporation of the island, 
in 1894 passed judgment on these commercial 
laws in the following severe terms : 

'Tt would be impossible to explain, should 
the attempt be made, what is the signification of 
the present commercial laws, as regards any eco- 
nomical or political plan or system ; because, 
economically, they aim at the destruction of public 
wealth, and politically they are the cause of inex- 
tinguishable discontent, and contain the germs of 
grave disse?isio7is!' 

Salaried Carpet-Bas:s:ers. 

But Spain has not taken heed of this ; her 
only care has been to keep the producers and 
merchants of such rebellious provinces as Cata- 
lonia contented. 



1 86 CUBA. 

For the latter is reserved the best part of 
the booty taken from Cuba. High salaries and 
the power of extortion for the office-holders sent 
to the Colony ; regular tributes for the politicians 
who uphold them in the Metropolis. The 
Governor-General is paid a salary of $50,000 and 
a fund for secret expenses. The Director-Gen- 
eral of the Treasury receives a salary of $18,500. 
The Archbishop of Santiago and the Bishop of 
Havana, $18,000 each. The Commander-General 
of the '' Apostadero" (naval station) $16,392. 
General Segundo Cabo (second in command of 
the island), and the President of the "Audiencia," 
$15,000 each. The Governor of Havana and the 
Secretary of the General Government, $8,000 
each. The Postmaster General, $5,000. The 
Collector of the Havana Custom House, $4,000. 
The manager of Lotteries, the same salary. The 
Chief Clerks of Administration of the first class 
receive $5,000 each ; those of the second class, 
$4,000, and those of the third class, $3,000 each. 
The majors-general are paid $7,500; the briga- 
diers-general, $4,500, and when in command, 
$5,000; the colonels, $3,450; and this salary is 
increased when they are in command of a regi- 
ment. The captains of '' navio" (the largest 
men-ofwar) receive $6,300; the captains of 
frigates, $4,560 ; the lieutenants of " navio" of 
the first class, $3,370. All these functionaries 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 87 

are entitled to free lodgings and domestic ser- 
vants. Then follows the numberless crowd of 
minor officials, all well provided for, and with 
great facilities better to provide for themselves. 
Oovernment toy Plunder. 
At the office of the Minister of '' Ultramar" 
(of the Colonies), who resides in Madrid, and to 
whom ^96,800 a year are assigned from the treas- 
ury of Cuba, — at that office begins the saturnalia 
in which the Spanish bureaucrats indulge with the 
riches of Cuba. Sometimes, through incapacity, 
but more frequently for plunder, the money ex- 
acted from the Cuban taxpayers is unscrupulously 
and irresponsibly squandered. It has been demon- 
strated that the debt of Cuba has been increased 
to $50,232,500 through Minister Fable's incapa- 
city. At the time this Minister was in power the 
Spanish Bank disposed of $20,000,000 from the 
Cuban treasury, which were to be carried in ac- 
count current at the disposal of the Minister for 
the famous operation of withdrawing the paper 
currency. Cuba paid the interest on these mil- 
lions, and continued paying it all the time they 
were utilized by the bank. Minister Romero 
Robledo took at one time (in 1892) $1,000,000 
belonging to the treasury of Cuba from the vaults 
of the Bank of Spain, and lent it to the Transat- 
lantic Company, of which he was a stockholder. 
This was done in defiance of law, and without any 



1 88 CUBA. 

authorization whatever. The Minister was threat- 
ened with prosecution ; but he haughtily repHed 
that, if prosecuted, all his predecessors from every 
political party would have to accompany him to 
the court. That threat came to nothing. 
Kxposure of Frauds, 
In June of 1890 there was a scandalous 
debate in the Spanish Cortes, in which some of 
the frauds committed upon the Cuban treasury 
were, not for the first time, brought to light. It 
was then made public that $6,500,000 had been 
abstracted from the " Caja de Deposltos," not- 
withstanding that the safe was locked with three 
keys, and each one was in the possession of a 
different functionary. Then it was known that 
under the pretext of false vouchers for transpor- 
tation and fictitious bills for provisions, during 
the previous war, defalcations had been found 
afterwards amounting to $22,811,516. In the 
month of March of the same year General Pando 
affirmed that the robberies committed through 
the issue of warrants by the ''Junta de la Denda" 
(Board of the Public Debt) exceeded the sum of 

$12,000. 

1^0 Punislmieiit for Rascals. 

These are only a few of the most salient facts. 
The large number of millions mentioned above 
represent only an insignificant part of what a venal 
administration, sure of immunity, exacts from Cu- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I 89 

ban labor. The network of artful schemes to 
cheat the Cuban tax-payer and defraud the State 
covers everything. Falsification of documents, 
embezzlement of revenues, bargains with delin- 
quent debtors, exaction of higher dues from inex- 
perienced peasants, delays in the dispatch of judi- 
cial proceedings in order to obtain a more or less 
considerable gratuity ; such are the artful means 
daily employed to empty the purse of the tax- 
payer and to divert the public funds into the pock- 
ets of the functionaries. 

In August of 1887 General Marin entered 
the Custom House of Havana at the head of a 
military force, besieged and occupied it ; investi- 
gated the operations carried on there and dis- 
charged every employe. The act caused a great 
stir ; but not a single one of the officials was In- 
dicted, or suffered a further punishment. There 
were, in 1891, 350 officials indicted in Cuba for 
committing fraud. Not one of them was punished. 
IVo Personal Safety for Cubans. 

We have shown that, notwithstanding the 
promises of Spain and the ostensible changes 
introduced in the government of Cuba since 1878, 
the Spaniards from Europe have governed and 
ruled exclusively in Cuba, and have continued 
exploiting it until they have ruined the country. 
Can this tyrannical system be justified by any 
kmd of benefits that might compensate for the 
II 



1 90 CUBA. 

deprivation of actual power of which the natives 
of the colony complain ? More than one despotic 
government has tried to justify itself with the 
material prosperity it has fostered, or with the 
safety it has secured to its citizens, or with the 
liberty it has given to certain manifestations of 
civilized life. Let us see whether the Cubans are 
indebted to the iron government of Spain for any 
of these compensating blessings. 

Personal safety is a myth in Cuba. Outlaws, 
as well as men of law, have disposed at will of 
the property, the peace and the life of the inhab- 
itants of Cuba. The civil guard (armed police), 
far from being the guardians, have been the ter- 
ror of the Cuban peasants. Wherever they pass 
they cause an alarm by the brutal ill-treatment to 
which they submit the inhabitants, who, in many 
cases, fly from their homes at their approach. 
Under the most trifling pretext they beat unmer- 
cifully the defenceless countrymen, and very 
frequently they have killed those they were con- 
veying under arrest. 

Xbe Paradise of Bandits. 

While the armed police force were beating 
and murdering peaceful inhabitants, the highway- 
men were allowed to escape unscathed to devas- 
tate the country at their pleasure. Although 
^3,000,000 are assigned in the budget to the ser- 
vice of public safety, there are districts, such as 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I9I 

the Province of Puerto Principe, where Its Inhab- 
itants have had to arm themselves and undertake 
the pursuit of the bandits. The case has occurred 
of an army of 5000 or 6000 troops being sent to 
pursue a handful of highwaymen within a small 
territory, without succeeding in capturing them. 
Meanwhile a special bureau was established in 
Havana for the persecution of highwaymen, and 
fabulous sums were spent by it. The best the 
government succeeded In doing was to bargain 
with a bandit, and deceive and kill him afterwards 
on board the steamer ''Baldomero Iglesias" in the 
bay of Havana. 

Nevertheless, the existence of highwaymen 
has served as a pretext to curtail the jurisdiction 
of the ordinary courts, and submit the Cubans to 
the jurisdiction of the courts-martial, contrary to 
the Constitution of the State, which had already 
been proclaimed. In fact, the Code of Military 
Laws (Codigo de Justica Mllitar) provides that 
the offenses against persons and the means of 
transportation, as well as arson, when cominitted 
in the provinces of Ultramar (the colonies) and 
the possessions of Africa and Oceanica, be tried 
by court-martial. 

It is true, however, that an explicit legal text 
was not necessary for the government to nullify 
the precepts of the Constitution. This was pro- 
mulgated In Cuba with a preamble providing that 



192 CUBA. 

the Governor-General and his delegates should 
retain the same powers they had before its pro- 
mulgation. The banishment of Cubans has 
continued after as before said promulgation. In 
December of 1891 there was a strike of wharf 
laborers in the Province of Santa Clara. To end 
it the Governor captured the strikers and ban- 
ished them en masse to the island of Pinos. 

The deportations for political offences have 
not been discontinued in Cuba, and although it is 
stated that no executions for political offences 
have taken place since 1878, it is because the 
government has resorted to the more simple 
expedient of assassination. General Polavieja 
has declared with utmost coolness that in Decem- 
ber of 1880 he had 265 persons seized in Cuba, 
Palma, San Luis, Songo, Guantanamo and Sagua 
de Tanamo, and transported the same day and at 
the same hour to the African island of Fernando 
Po. At the close of the insurrection of 1879- 
1880 it was a frequent occurrence for the govern- 
ment to send to the penal colonies of Africa the 
Cubans who had capitulated. The treachery of 
which General Jose Maceo was a victim carries 
us to the darkest times of the War of Flanders 
and the Conquest of America. 

Cuba recalls with horror the dreadful assas- 
sination of Brigadier-General Arcadio Leyte 
Vidal, perpetrated in the bay of Nipe in Septem- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 93 

ber of 1879. War had just broken out anew in 
the Eastern Department. Brigadier General 
Leyte Vidal resided in Mayari, assured by the 
solemn promise of the Spanish commander-in- 
chief of that zone that he would not be molested. 
One month had not elapsed since the uprising, 
however, when having gone to Nipe, he was in- 
vited by the commander of the gunboat ''Alarma" 
to take dinner on board. Leyte Vidal went on 
board the gunboat, but never returned. He was 
strangled in a boat by three sailors, and his 
corpse was cast into the sea. This villanous deed 
was committed in compliance with an order from 
the Spanish General Polavieja. Francisco Leyte 
Vidal, a cousin to Arcadio, miraculously escaped 
the same tragic fate. 

The mysterious deaths of Cubans who had 
capitulated long before have been frequent in 
Cuba. To one of these deaths was due the 
uprising of Tunas de Bayamo in 1879. 
No Security for Property. 

If the personal safety of the Cubans, in a 
period which the Spaniards would depict with 
brilliant colors, continues at the mercy of their 
rulers, who are aliens in the country both by birth 
and in ideas, have the Cubans' honor and pro- 
perty any better safeguard ? Is the administration 
of justice good, or even endurable? The very 
idea of a lawsuit frightens every honest Cuban. 



194 CUBA. 

Nobody trusts the honesty or Independence of 
the judges. Despite the provisions of the Con- 
stitution, without warrant and for indefinite time, 
imprisonments are most common in Cuba. The 
magistrate can tighten or loosen the elastic 
meshes of the judicial proceedings. They know 
well that if they curry favor with the government, 
they can do anything without incurring respon- 
sibility. They consider themselves, and without 
thinking it a disgrace, as mere political tools. 
The presidents and attorneys-general of the 
" Audiencias" receive their instructions at the 
Captain-General's office. Twice have the govern- 
ors of Cuba aimed at establishing a special tri- 
bunal to deal with the offenses of the press, 
thereby undermining the Constitution. Twice 
has this special tribunal been established. More 
than once has a straightforward and impartial 
judge been found to try a case in which the in- 
terests of influential people were involved. On 
such occasions the straightforward judge has been 
replaced by a special judge. 

In a country where money is wastefully spent 
to support a civil and military bureaucracy, the 
appropriation for the administration of justice 
does not reach $500,000. On the other hand, the 
sales of stamped paper constitute a revenue of 
$750,000. Thus the State derives a pecuniary 
profit from its administration of justice. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 95 

Is it then a wonder that the reforms that 
have been attempted by estabhshing lower and 
higher courts to take cognizance of criminal cases 
and by introducing oral and public trials should 
not have contributed in the least to improve the 
administration of justice? Onerous services have 
been exacted from people without proper com- 
pensation as gratuitous services. The govern- 
ment, so splendidly liberal when its own expenses 
are in question, haggles for the last cent when 
dealing with truly useful and reproductive services. 

Is the Cuban compensated for his absolute 
deprivation of political power, the fiscal extortions 
and the monstrous deficiencies of judicial admin- 
istration by the material prosperity of his country ? 
No man acquainted with the intimate relations 
which exist between the fiscal regime of a country 
and its economical system will believe that Cuba, 
crushed as it is by unreasonable budgets and an 
enormous debt, can be rich. The income of Cuba 
in the most prosperous times has been calculated 
at $80,000,000. The State, provincial and muni- 
cipal charges take much more than forty per 
cent, of this amount. This fact explains itself. 
We need not draw any inferences therefrom. Let 
us confine ourselves to casting a glance over the 
aspect presented by the agricultural, industrial, 
and real estate interests in Cuba at the beginning 
of the present year. 



196 CUBA. 

Industries Driven to Bankruptcy. 

Despite the prodigious efforts made by pri- 
vate individuals to extend the cultivation of the 
sugar cane and to raise the sugar-making industry 
to the plane it has reached, both the colonists and 
the proprietors of the sugar plantations and the 
sugar mills (centrales) are on the brink of bank- 
ruptcy and ruin. In selling the output they knew 
that they would not get sufficient means to cover 
the cost of keeping and repairing their colonies 
and sugar mills. There is not a single agricultu- 
ral bank in Cuba. The ''hacendado" (planter, 
land-owner) had to recur to usurious loans and to 
pay eighteen and twenty per cent, for the sums 
which they borrowed. Not long ago there existed 
in Havana the Spanish Bank, the Bank of Com- 
merce, the Industrial Bank, the Bankof St. Joseph, 
the Bank of the Alliance, the Bank of Maritime 
Insurances and the Savings Bank. Of these there 
remain to-day only the Spanish Bank, which has 
been converted into a vast State office, and the 
Bank of Commerce, which owes its existence to 
the railways and warehouses it possesses. None 
of these gives any aid to the sugar industry. 

The cigar-making industry, which was in 
such flourishing condition a short time ago, has 
fallen so low that fears are entertained that it 
may emigrate entirely from Cuba. The weekly 
" El Tobacco " came to the conclusion that the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. I97 

exportation of cigars from Cuba would cease 
entirely within six years. From 1889 to 1894 the 
exportation from the port of Havana had de- 
creased by 1 16,200,000 cigars. 

City real estate has fallen to one-half and in 
some cases to one-third the value it had before 
1884. A building in Havana which was erected 
at a cost of $600,000 was sold for $120,000. 

Stocks and bonds tell the same story. 
Almost all of them are quoted in Havana with 
heavy discounts. 

At the outbreak of the present war, Spain 
found that, although the appropriations since 1878 
amounted to nearly $500,000,000, not a single 
military road had been built, no fortifications, no 
hospitals, and there was no material of war. The 
State has not provided even for its own defence. 
In view of this fact nobody will be surprised to 
hear that a country 670 kilometres long, with an 
area of 118,833 square kilometres, has only 
246^^ lineal kilometres of high-roads, and these 
almost exclusively in the Province of Havana. In 
that of Santiago de Cuba there are 9 kilometres ; 
in Puerto Principe and Las Villas not a single one. 
Cuba has 3,506 kilometres of sea-shore and fifty 
four ports ; only fifteen of those are open to com- 
merce. In the labyrinth of keys, sand banks and 
breakers adjacent to our coasts there are only 
nineteen lighthouses of all classes. Many of our 



198 CUBA. 

ports, some of the best among them, are filling 
up. The coasting steamers can hardly pass the 
bars at the entrance of the ports of Nuevitas, 
Gibara, Baracoa and Santiago de Cuba. Private 
parties have sometimes been willing to remedy 
these evils ; but then the central administration 
has interfered, and after years of red tape, things 
have remained worse than before. In the course 
of twenty-eight years only 139 kilometres of 
high-roads were built in Cuba ; two first-class 
light-houses were erected, three second-class, one 
of the fourth-class, three beacon lights and two 
port lights ; 246 metres of wharf were built, and 
a few ports were superficially cleaned and their 
shoals marked. This was all. On the other 
hand the department of public works consumes 
unlimited millions in enormous salaries and in 
repairs. 

The neglect of public hygiene in Cuba is pro- 
verbial. The technical commission sent by the 
United States to Havana to study the yellow 
fever, declared that the port of the capital of 
Cuba, owing to its inconceivable filth, is a perma- 
nent source of infection, against which it is neces- 
sary to take precautions. There is in Havana, 
however, a ''Junta de Puerto" (board of port- 
wardens) which collects dues and spends them 
with the same munificence as the other bureau- 
cratic centres. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 1 99 

Xo Putolic Instruction. 

Does the government favor Cuba more in 
the matter of education ? It will suffice to state 
that only ^128,000 are assigned to public instruc- 
tion in the budget. And it may be proved that 
the University of Havana is a source of pecuniary 
profit to the State. On the other hand, this in- 
stitution is without laboratories, instruments and 
even without water to carry on experiments. All 
the countries of America, excepting Bolivia, all of 
them, including Hayti, Jamaica, Trinidad, and 
Guadalupe, where the colored race predominates, 
spend a great deal more than the Cuban govern- 
ment for the education of the people. On the 
other hand, only Chili spends as much as Cuba 
for the support of an army. In view of this, it is 
easily explained why 76 per cent, of such an in- 
telligent and wide-awake people as that of Cuba 
cannot read and write. The most necessary in- 
struction, the technical and industrial, does not 
exist. 

The careers and professions most needed 
by modern civilization are not cultivated in Cuba. 
In order to become a topographer, a scientific 
agriculturist, an electrician, an industrial or me- 
chanical engineer, a railroad or mining engineer, 
the Cuban has to go to a foreign country. The 
State in Cuba does not support a single public 
library. 



200 CUBA. 

Xlie Annual Budsret. 

The annual budget of the island, that is, the 
annual estimate of revenue and expenditure, is as 
follows : 

Revenue, in round numbers, ;^25, 000,000 

Expenditures, in round numbers, .... 27,000,000 

Apparent deficit, 2,000,000 

Real one, from $8,000,000 to iO;Ooo,ooo 

not because the estimated revenue is not col- 
lected, but because the estimated expenditures 
are increased. 

The sources whence the revenue is derived 
is a matter of no importance, except from a scien- 
tific point of view ; but a l)rief analysis of the ex- 
penditures will not fail to interest the reader. 

In the first place we find an item of $10,500,- 
000 for interest on the national debt of Spain. 
Following in importance we have an item of 
<f6,900,ooo for the army and navy. Then an item 
of $4,036,000 for salaries for civil employes. Next 
an item of $2,200,000 for pensions to retired mil- 
itary, civil and judicial officials or the widows. 
Then an item of $995,000 for the judicial and 
$708,000 for the Treasury Department. Next an 
item of $558,000 for internal improvements ; that 
is, for the construction and repairs of roads, of 
pubHc buildings, of telegraph lines, for harbor 
improvements, sanitary works, lighthouse expen- 
ses, etc. Finally, an item of $182, 200 for the higher 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 20I 

education, as follows : ^127,050 for the University 
of Havana, $16,800 for the school for land sur- 
veyors, mercantile professors, naval studies, etc. ; 
$6,550 for the School of Design, painting and 
sculpture; $15,000 for the Normal School and 
$16,800 for material for those establishments. We 
find, therefore, that in a yearly expenditure of 
over $34,000,000 only the insignificant sum of 
$588,000 is devoted to works of public utility and 
$182,200 to higher education. There is not one 
cent applied to primary education. This is taken 
care of by the municipalities, whose revenue, 
owing to the fact that the general government ex- 
hausts all the sources from which they could 
derive a moderate one, is so exceedingly limited 
that they have scarcely enough to meet the most 
urgent needs, and public instruction remains al- 
most entirely neglected. 

HeaTy Burden of Taxation. 
We might well suppose that for a country 
with 1,600,000 inhabitants an annual taxation of 
$24,000,000 to $26,000,000 is indeed a heavy 
burden ; but this does not by any means repre- 
sent the drainage to which the resources of the 
island are subjected under the Spanish Govern- 
ment. For every dollar which goes into the 
treasury at least another dollar is stolen by the 
ofiicials. Take, for instance, the item of custom 
duties. They yield per annum some $12,000,000; 



202 CUBA. 

but any one who is familiar with the Custom 
House business in Cuba will tell you that no 
more than 40 per cent, of the dutiable goods 
imported into the island has been declared, the 
remaining 60 per cent, having been smuggled and 
the duties thereon divided between the importer 
and the officials in the following proportion : 40 
per cent, to the importer, 40 per cent, to the 
Collector and Appraisers, and 20 per cent, to 
the minor officials. In all the other branches of 
the revenue the same system prevails. Instead, 
therefore, of $24,000,000 or $26,000,000, we 
have $48,000,000 or $50,000,000. Yet this is not 
all ; for, as a result of the policy adopted by the 
Government creating the division between the 
Spanish and native elements of the population, 
the great majority of the Spaniards only come to 
Cuba to make a fortune, and as soon as this is 
accomplished they return to Spain, carrying with 
them every cent they have earned and leaving 
behind not even a memento of their residence in 
the island. In the good old times from $8,000,- 
000 to $10,000,000 were so taken away from 
Cuba every year. Adding the various items, we 
obtain a total of some $55,000,000 to $60,000,000 
as the cost to the people of Cuba of the paternal 
Government of Spain. 



CHAPTER VIT. 



THE '' EVER FAITHFUL ISLE DRIVEN TO REVOLT— 

EARLV PATRIOTISM SPANISH OPPRESSION THE 

PARTY OF REFORM PERSISTENT MISRULE 

A STORY OF WRONGS CUBa's MATERIAL PROS- 
PERITY BOURBON RULE ADDING INJURY TO 

INSULT EARLY DISCONTENT LOPEZ AND HIS 

RAIDS THE KILLING OF PINTO NOTES ON 

SPANISH TYRANNY TROUBLE OVER THE TARIFF 

SUPPRESSING FREEMASONRY A CHARACTER- 
ISTIC PROCLAMATION TACON's ADMINISTRA- 
TION CULTIVATING THE SLAVE TRADE 

CREOLE PRIDE. 




,AR IS A DIRE necessity. But when 
a people has exhausted all human 
means of persuasion to obtain from 
an unjust oppressor a remedy for its ills, if it 
appeals as a last resource to force in order to 
repel the persistent aggression which constitutes 
tyranny, this people is justified before its own con- 
science and before the tribunal of nations. 

Such is the case of Cuba in its wars against 
Spain. No metropolis has ever been harsher or 
more obstinately harassing: none has ever ex- 
ploited a colony with more greediness and less 
foresight than Spain. No colony has ever been 

(203) 



204 CUBA. 

more prudent, more long-suffering, more cautious, 
more persevering than Cuba in its purpose of 
asking for its rights by appeaHng to the lessons 
of experience and political wisdom. Only driven 
by desperation has the people of Cuba taken up 
arms, and having done so, it displays as much 
heroism in the hour of danger as it had shown 
good judgment in the hour of deliberation. 

The history of Cuba during the present cen- 
tury is a long series of rebellions ; but every one 
of these was preceded by a peaceful struggle for 
its rights — a fruitless struggle because of the ob- 
stinate blindness of Spain. 

Harly Patriotism. 

There were patriots in Cuba from the begin- 
ning of this century, such as Presbyter Caballero 
and Don Francisco Arango, who called the met- 
ropolitan government's attention to the evils of 
the Colony, and pointed to the remedy by plead- 
ing for the commercial franchises required by its 
economical organization, and for the intervention 
of the natives in its government, not only as a 
right, but also for political expediency, in view of 
the long distance between the Colony and the 
Home Government, and the grave difficulties 
with which it had to contend. The requirements 
of the war with the continental colonies, which 
were tired of Spanish tyranny, compelled the 
Metropolitan Government to grant a certain 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 205 

measure of commercial liberty to the island of 
Cuba ; a temporary concession which spread 
prosperity throughout its territory, but which was 
not sufficient to open the eyes of the Spanish 
statesmen. On the contrary, prompted by sus- 
picion and mistrust of the Americans, they began 
by curtailing, and shortly after abrogated the 
limited administrative powers then possessed by 
some of the corporations in Cuba, such as the 
"Junta de Fomento," (a board for the encour- 
agement of internal improvements.) 
Spanisli Oppression. 

As if this were not enough, the Cubans were 
deprived of the little show of political interven- 
tion they had in public affairs. By a simple 
royal decree issued in 1837 all the powers of 
the government were concentrated in the hands 
of the Captain-General, on whom authority was 
conferred to act as the Governor of a city in a 
state of siege. This implied that the Captain- 
General, residing in Havana, was master of the 
life and property of every inhabitant of the island 
of Cuba. This meant that Spain declared a per- 
manent state of war against a peaceful and de- 
fenceless people. 

Cuba saw its most illustrious sons, such as 

Heredia and Saco, wander in exile throughout the 

free American Continent. Cuba saw as many of 

the Cubans as dared to love liberty and declare it 

12 



206 CUBA. 

by act or word, die on the scaffold, such as Joan 
de Aguero and Placido. Cuba saw the product 
of its people's labor confiscated by iniquitous fis- 
cal laws imposed by its masters from afar. Cuba 
saw the administration of justice in the hands of 
foreign magistrates, who acted at the will or the 
whim of its rulers. Cuba suffered all the outrages 
that can humiliate a conquered people, in the 
name and by the work of a government that sar- 
castically calls itself paternal. Is it to be wondered 
then that an uninterrupted era of conspiracies and 
uprising, should have been inaugurated ? Cuba 
in its despair took up arms in 1850 and 185 1, con- 
spired again in 1885, waged war in 1868, in 1879, 
in 1885, and is fighting now, since the 24th of 
February, 1895. 

Xhe Party of Reform. 
But at the same time Cuba has never ceased 
to ask for justice and redress. Its people, before 
shouldering the rifle, pleaded for their rights. Be- 
fore the pronunciamento of Aguero and the inva- 
sions of Lopez, Saco, in exile, exposed the dangers 
of Cuba to the Spanish statesmen, and pointed to 
the remedy. Other far-sighted men seconded 
him in the Colony. They denounced the cancer 
of slavery, the horrors of the traffic in slaves, the 
corruption of the office-holders, the abuses of the 
government, the discontent of the people with 
their state and political tutelage. No attention 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 207 

was given to them, and this brought on the first 
armed conflicts. 

Before the formidable insurrection of 1868, 
which lasted ten years, the Reform party, which 
included the most enlightened, wealthy, and in- 
fluential Cubans, exhausted all the resources 
within their reach to induce Spain to initiate a 
healthy change in her Cuban policy. The party 
started the publication of periodicals in Madrid 
and in the island, addressed petitions, maintained 
a great agitation throughout the country, and 
having succeeded in leading the Spanish Govern- 
ment to make an inquiry into the economical, 
political, and social condition of Cuba, they pre- 
sented a complete plan of government which sat- 
isfied public requirements as well as the aspira- 
tions of the people. The Spanish Government 
disdainfully cast aside the proposition as useless, 
increased taxation, and proceeded to its exaction 
with extreme severity. 

It was then that the ten-year war broke out. 
Cuba, almost a pigmy compared with Spain, 
fought like a giant. Blood ran in torrents. 
Public wealth disappeared in a bottomless abyss. 
Spain lost 200,000 men. Whole districts of 
Cuba were left almost entirely without their male 
population. Seven hundred millions were spent 
to feed that conflagration — a conflagration that 
tested Cuban heroism, but which could not touch 



208 CUBA. 

the hardened heart of Spain. The latter could 
not subdue the bleeding Colony, which had no 
longer strength to prolong the struggle with any 
prospect of success. Spain proposed a compact, 
which was a snare and a deceit. She granted to 
Cuba the liberties of Puerto Rico, which enjoyed 
none. 

Persistent Misrule. 

On this deceitful ground was laid the new 
situation, throughout which has run a current 
of falsehood and hypocrisy. Spain, whose mind 
had not changed, hastened to change the name of 
things. The Captain-General was called Governor- 
General. The royal decrees took the name of 
authorizations. The commercial monopoly of 
Spain was named coasting trade. The right of 
banishment was transformed into the law of 
vagrancy. The brutal attacks of defenceless 
citizens were called '' componte." The abolition 
of constitutional guarantees became the law of 
public order. Taxation without the consent or 
knowledge of the Cuban peple was changed into 
the law of estimates (budget) voted by the rep- 
resentatives of Spain, that is, of European 
Spain. 

The painful lesson of the ten-year war had 
been entirely lost on Spain. Instead of inaugu- 
rating a redeeming policy that would heal the 
recent wounds, allay public anxiety, and quench 



o 

13 




FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 211 

the thirst for justice felt by the people, who were 
desirous to enjoy their natural rights, the Me- 
tropolis, while lavish in promises of reform, per- 
sisted in carrying on unchanged its old and crafty 
system, the groundwork of which continues to be 
the same, namely : To exclude every native 
Cuban from every office that could give him any 
effective influence and intervention in public 
affairs ; the ungovernable exploitation of the 
colonists' labor for the benefit of Spanish 
commerce and Spanish bureaucracy, both civil 
and military. To carry out the latter purpose 
it was necessary to maintain the former at any 
cost. 

A Story of IJVrongfS. 

A full statement of the grievances endured 
by the Cuban people during the last seventy-five 
years would fill a volume of no small size. Dur- 
ing 300 years Cuba was absolutely neglected by 
Spain. Two centuries after the discovery of the 
island the population did not exceed 50,000 souls, 
and one century later it did not reach 175,000. 

Up to the beginning of the present century 
the Cuban people were an agricultural commu- 
nity, cut off from all intercourse with the rest of 
the world, except Spain, and producing just 
enough to satisfy their ordinary wants. The 
ports of the island being closed to foreign com- 
merce, and Spain offering only a limited market 



212 CUBA. 

for the products of Cuba, there was nothing to 
stimulate the development of Its agriculture. In- 
tellectually, the great majority of the Cuban peo- 
ple lived almost in utter darkness. Public educa- 
tion was entirely neglected by the government ; 
there were no primary schools, and even as late 
as 1855, in towns of 2500 and 3000 inhabitants, 
not one was to be found. In 1851 the total 
amount appropriated for public instruction was 
only ^29,326, and that very year Cuba was made 
to contribute over |;9,ooo,ooo to pay for the army 
and navy of Spain. Out of a total of over 100,- 
000 children only 3682 attended the public schools ; 
that was their capacity. 

Only a few years ago, Baracoa, with 1365 
children had no more than two public schools, 
with accommodation for 136 children, and costing 
for teachers' salaries, rent of building and other 
expenses the yearly sum of ^780. Manzanillo, 
with 3079 children, had four public schools with 
an attendance of 185, their full capacity, at a 
yearly expense of $36;i,6 for salaries, rent of 
buildings, school material, etc. Las Tunas, with 
1297 children, had two schools, with 156 children, 
at an annual total cost of ^i 160. The "children of 
the well-to-do families were either educated at 
home or at private schools, at a cost entirely be- 
yond the means of the lower classes of the popu- 
lation. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 213 

Cuba's Material Prosperity. 

The material prosperity of Cuba began at 
the latter part of the first quarter of the present 
century. By royal decree of July 23d, 1817, the gov- 
ernment of Spain relinquished the monopoly of the 
cultivation and manufacture of tobacco, and by 
another royal decree of February loth, 181 8, the 
ports of the island were opened to foreign com- 
merce. These two measures were followed by 
an extraordinary agricultural and commercial de- 
velopment, which has continued uninterrupted 
until lately. But Cuba is not indebted to the 
good-will of Spain for those two beneficial reforms. 
They were due only to the care and solicitude of 
Don Francisco Arango, an eminent Cuban states- 
man and patriot, who devoted his whole life to 
the service of his country. It was the work of 
many years of unremitting and persistent effort, 
and, if he finally succeeded, it was because of his 
ability to convince the Spanish Government that 
the immediate result of the adoption of both 
measures would be a great increase in the reve- 
nue derived from the island, no matter at what 
cost to the latter. Nor is this all. While increas- 
ing the burdens to the extent of absorbing almost 
the whole net revenue of the country, Spain has 
invariably discouraged all those enterprises which 
might have attracted foreign capital and intelli- 
gence to Cuba, jealous and fearful of the influ- 



214 CUBA. 

ence that foreigners might exert In a colony 

which she desired to hold with an iron grasp in 

order to extort revenue from it at her pleasure. 

Xlie Bourbon Rule. 

The National Constitution adopted in 1812 
declared that the American colonies were entitled 
to representation in the Cortes. It was a very 
restricted one, but at least the right was acknow- 
ledged, and Cuba sent two deputies. When 
they reached Spain, however, the Constitution 
had already been overthrown by the most brutal 
and stupid of all the Bourbons, Ferdinand VIII. 
It was restored in 1820, but for a short period 
only, and in 1836, Ferdinand having died in 1833, 
the Constitutional regime was again introduced, 
and Cuba sent the deputies she was entitled to. 
They reached Spain, presented their credentials, 
and after long delay, were coolly informed that 
they could not be admitted to a seat, as the 
Cortes had passed a resolution to the effect that 
Cuba should not have representation, but that 
special laws would be enacted for the government 
of the Colony. We are yet waiting for those 
laws. 

Up to that moment the Cuban people were 
generally loyal to Spain. Thenceforward the 
Spanish Government had, if not an enemy, at 
least an opponent in every Intelligent Cuban, and 
the antagonism was intensified and deepened by 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 215 

the policy adopted by the rulers of the island a 
few years before, and then very diligently pursued 
for the purpose of creating a division between 
the resident Spaniards and the Cubans, a policy 
so effectively promoted by Gen. Tacon that 
social intercourse between those two elements of 
the population almost ceased. Increasing dis- 
content was met by sterner measures of repres- 
sion, accompanied all the time by heavier and 
more galling taxation. Until the year 1878 the 
country was under a reign of terror beyond all 
exaggeration. On the merest suspicion men 
were imprisoned, and without even the show of 
a trial, were executed or deported to the pena*l 
colonies of Africa for ten, fifteen or twenty years 
and their estates confiscated. 

Adding- Injury to Insult. 
In 1863 the political atmosphere became so 
heavy and threatening that the Spanish Govern- 
ment consented toand directed the election of com- 
missioners who should proceed to Spain' to report 
about the general condition of the island, and re- 
commend such political and administrative reforms 
as they might deem advisable. Sixteen of the 
most eminent Cubans were elected, and together 
with the commissioners appointed by the govern- 
ment they met at Madrid the following year. 
The whole proceeding was a mere farce. A 
series of questions were submitted to them, and 



2 1 6 CUBA. 

they were most carefully considered and answered. 
Upon this having been accomplished the com- 
missioners were discharged. Was anything done 
by the Spanish Government ? Yes ; the taxes 
were increased, and the report and recommenda- 
tions were consigned to the archives, there to be 
forever forgotten. That was all, and it was 
enough. It filled to the brim the cup of Cuban 
patience and suffering, and the standard of revolt 
was raised on the tenth day of October, 1868. 
The war lasted for ten long years at a cost to the 
country of over $1,000,000,000 and thousands of 
lives, while over 150,000 Spanish soldiers left 
their bones to fertilize the Cuban fields. To Spain, 
the war cost no money ; all was paid by Cuba. 
Harly Discontent. 

In the early part of the present century Cuba 
began to grow restless under the rule of Spain, 
Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America, 
aimed to include Cuba, also, in his work, and 
make it independent. The project met with 
little encouragement, however, and Cubans say 
that its failure was due to the opposition, open or 
secret, of the United States Government at that 
time. That Government made it plain to Bolivar 
that it would not be pleased if he extended his 
operations north of Panama. 

The fire of insurrection broke out fiercely 
about twenty years afterward, and from 1 848 to 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 217 

1854 numerous small insurrections occurred. 
These were mostly organized by the slaves, and 
were more attempts to obtain freedom for the 
slaves than to obtain independence for the island. 
A few of these rebellions showed plans of a 
widespread conspiracy, however, and these were 
countenanced, if not assisted, by the Southern 
States of this country. There was for some 
time among Southern statesmen, a definite pro- 
ject looking to the annexation of Cuba to the 
Union, and its division into four States. These 
would, of course, have been slave States and thus 
would have added greatly to the power of the 
slave party in Congress. Their eight senators 
and at least sixteen representatives would have 
given the balance of power to the South for a 
long time. 

The first serious uprising was that of the 
** Black Eagle" bands in 1829, which was really 
incited by the example of Bolivar and the South- 
American republics. It was readily suppressed 
by the Spanish Government with great severity 
and cruelty. A considerable insurrection of the 
slaves occurred in 1844 and the province of 
Matanzas was placed for a tirne under purely 
military rule. Under the ordinary method of 
examination no incriminating evidence was ob- 
tainable against the prisoners taken. The Court, 
therefore, went back to the horrible practices of 



2l8 CUBA. 

the Inquisition, and tortured the prisoners in a 
manner worthy of the days of Torquemada. As 
a resuk, many wretched prisoners testified falsely 
and accused innocent persons, in vain hope of 
thus securing their own release from torment. 
This hope was soon dispelled. The ruthless 
judges generally put their witnesses to death after 
torturing them. In all, nearly two thousand 
persons were sentenced to death, to banishment, 
and to imprisonment at hard labor for various 
terms, against not one of whom was there any 
real evidence. 

I^opez and Mis Raids. 
A formidable attack upon Spanish rule was 
that led by Narcisso Lopez in 1848. He organ- 
ized a band of 600 men in the United States, and, 
evading the neutrality laws, made a landing upon 
the Cuban coast, where he was joined by a con- 
siderable number of Cubans, both white and col- 
ored. He was soon driven out of the island by 
the Spaniards, but returned a second time, and 
again a third time in 1851. The last landing 
proved fatal to him. He was captured by the 
Spaniards and put to death, with a number of his 
followers. Another American, Crittenden, who was 
in league with him, remained on the coast, and, 
hearing of the capture of Lopez, attempted to 
escape by taking to the sea in a boat. He, 
too, was captured, with fifty of his men, and 



o 
o 

Hi 
93 






FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 221 

they were all put to death in Havana in a most 
brutal manner. 

Xlie Killing: of Pinto. 

Thereafter the island was quiet for a few 
years, but, in 1854, Pinto, a Spaniard of revolu- 
tionist tendencies, again raised the standard of 
revolt. He was soon captured and put to death. 

After Pinto came Estrampes and Aguero, 
who aimed both at freeing the slaves and throw- 
ing off the Spanish yoke. They were both cap- 
tured after a brief struggle and put to death. 
After them, there were no more serious uprisings 
until the great war in 1868. 

Xotes on Spanisli Xyranny. 

No better idea of the tyranny of Spanish 
rule in Cuba, of the restlessness of the Cubans 
under it, of the various attempts to gain indepen- 
dence, and also of the attitude of other countries 
toward the island, can be obtained than by glanc- 
ing at a few items culled from the newspapers of 
earlier years. Thus in April, 181 7, appeared a 
petition of fourteen Americans confined in prison 
in Cuba, to the President of the United States. 
They wrote : "Our vessel being sold for the pur- 
pose of privateering, we were obliged to take 
passage in the schooner ' Margaretta,' bound to 
Jamaica. To our sorrow, after being on our pas- 
sage two days, the captain brought up his 
Carthagenian commission and said he was bound 



222 CUBA. 

on a cruise. Finding ourselves taken in this 
shameful manner, we concerted to leave her the 
first opportunity. On September 2d we captured 
the schooner 'Sophia,' under Spanish colors, bound 
to Jamaica, with cattle on board ; on the 3d of 
the same month, we captured a Spanish brig from 
the coast. The captain and owner ransomed the 
brig for ^1600 ; we allowed the boat to take the 
captain on shore at Cuba under a promise that 
he would return with the money ; the unjust agree- 
ment of the Spaniards, in place of the money, sent 
out a King's schooner of superior force and cap- 
tured us. Now began the inhuman usages of the 
cruel Spaniards. Cut and mangled to pieces with 
cutlasses, bound back to back till the blood ran 
from under our finger-nails, we are at present in 
Cuba jail on the allowance of this savage nation, 
on half a pint of rice and beans, half-cooked, for 
twenty-four hours, and without clothing." 

Privateering was popular in Cuban waters at 
that time. In March, 181 8, the capture of several 
was reported. On one of these vessels the cap- 
tain and entire crew were hung at sea. It is noted 
that the number of slaves imported into Havana 
in 18 1 7 amounted to 15,534. 

In June, 18 19, there was published a list of 
twenty-two prisoners at Havana, who were all 
American citizens, and who had been captured 
under the patriot flag of Cuban independence. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 223 

Trouble Over tlie Tariff. 

In September, 1821, appears this record: 
'' In consequence of the progress of things in 
Mexico and South America^ it is said that the 
people of Cuba begin to talk of independence 
pretty freely. It is highly probable that the 
sovereignty of this fine island will soon depart 
from Spain." At about the same time the Cuban 
deputies in the Spanish parliament made a strong 
remonstrance against a new tariff, which Spain 
proposed to impose upon the island, Parliament 
was plainly told that if the application of the 
tariff to Cuba was persisted in, the island would 
be lost to the mother country. "We require," 
said the deputies, ''the entire abrogation of the 
prohibited laws as regards the trade* of Cuba. It 
is for the interest of the Spanish monarchy, at 
large, that we should be subject to no commercial 
restrictions." In continuation they said that the 
island had not a twelfth part of the population 
it should have, and complained of the scarcity of 
slaves for agricultural labor. 

After the adoption of the new Spanish Con- 
stitution it became the rule in Havana for the 
Governor to visit the prisons once in every 
month, for the purpose of preventing the dread- 
ful cruelties which had been frequently and per- 
haps generally practiced in them. In one visit 
made by the Governor to the prisons of Morro 



224 CUBA. 

Castle, certain horrible dungeons were found 
constructed especially for the torture and oppres- 
sion of their inmates. He at once ordered that 
they should be immediately closed up with 
masonry. 

Havana, as well as the rest of the ports of 
Cuba, were for a time exempted from the opera- 
tion of the tariff referred to above. The local 
Government was left to regulate and establish 
the duties according to its pleasure. 

In January, 1822, the Captain-General of the 
island issued an order regulating the manner in 
which all persons, whether subjects of Spain or 
not, arriving as settlers in the island, were to be 
admitted. Every foreigner so arriving, before 
he was permitted to land had to present a me- 
morial to the Government stating the object of 
his coming and endorsed by some responsible 
person who was to be answerable for his conduct 
during his entire period of residence in the island. 
Without this, the captain of the ship bringing 
him was compelled to take him away again under 
a penalty of two hundred dollars' fine. 

At the end of May, 1822, a party of soldiers 
demolished a printing office in Havana and grossly 
abused the editor and his workmen for publishing 
some criticisms on the conduct of the Captain- 
General. A remonstrance, addressed to the 
Spanish Government against this abuse of power, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 'a2^ 

was drawn up the next day and signed by more 
than three thousand inhabitants. "All is con- 
jecture," said a correspondent, "as to what will 
be the termination of this affair, but we are in daily 
expectation of a revolution in the Government of 
the island." Not long after it was added that 
there appeared to be two parties in Cuba, one of 
the natives and the other of the Spaniards, the 
former beingf much the stronorer of the two. 
Suppressing: Freemasonry, 
A Royal decree against secret societies was 
promulgated and put in force in Havana in Feb- 
ruary, 1825. It prohibited for all time the exist- 
ence of all secret societies whatever, especially 
Freemasons. Those who continued to belong to 
such societies were to be held guilty of high 
treason and put to death. At about the same 
time the Captain-General established a military 
commission, whose duty it was to arrest and try 
all persons suspected of being unfriendly to the 
King or his Government or of being partisans of 
the constitution which he had just abolished. 
This commission was created at the instance of 
the King himself, as he said, " the more effect- 
ually to preserve his dominions in America from 
the horror and ruin with which they are menaced 
by the unloyal spirit of reform." 

A little later in that year a correspondent 
wrote : *' Spain is evidently uneasy about the 
13 



2 26 CUBA. 

fate of this island. The Bishop of Havana has 
been compelled to fly to New Orleans, for he was 
suspected of being too liberal in his opinions, and 
a new General of Marines has been appointed. 
This island must speedily pass from the posses- 
sion of S])ain. There are elements within and 
without that will divest Ferdinand of this, his now 
most precious colony, but whether it will become 
independent, or be united with Mexico, or Col- 
umbia, or Hayti, no one can tell. 

An English paper in August, 1825, having 
mentioned the report of the invasion of Cuba 
from Mexico, observed : " There would be some 
danger, we should think, of a project of this kind, 
if seriously undertaken, producing dissensions 
with the Cabinet at Washington, which might 
ultimately even branch out into others with our 
own. Cuba is the Turkey of trans-atlantic 
politics, tottering to its fall, and kept from falling 
only by the struggles of those who contend for 
the right of catching her in her descent." 
A Characteristic Proclamation. 

A serious conspiracy to throw off the Spanish 
yoke was discovered in the early part of 1830, 
which elicited from the Captain-General the fol- 
lowing characteristic proclamation : 

"INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA.' 

The flattering picture which this fortunate island 
presents, the result of your loyalty and good 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 227 

sense, cannot but Irritate the Revolutionists of 
the adjacent continent, who regard with angry 
envy our prosperity and wealth, while they are 
seen bowed down by poverty and anarchy, the 
inevitable consequence of their rebellion. This 
happy land, the abode of peace, plenty and 
loyalty, presents to the world a striking contrast : 
enjoying under the mild government of her king 
all the blessings which spring from security of 
property, the uninterrupted progress of the arts, 
education and science, while revolutions, factions, 
discord and anarchy have established their empire 
in the rebellious provinces, and their natural con- 
sequence has been immorality, licentiousness and 
the wretchedness Induced by this state of dis- 
order ; and since these malcontents have spared 
no means or efforts to disturb your repose, they 
have not found it difficult to allure to their faction 
some of the Inhabitants of this island. Some of 
them, ungrateful for the hospitality they have here 
received, and others uncircumspect, have been mis- 
led by fallacious theories, ignorant of the irresist- 
ible arguments based upon a simple comparison 
between the state of refinement and prosperity oi 
the ever-faithful isle of Cuba, and the deplorable 
state of the continent since the moment of its sep- 
aration from the paternal government of his 
majesty. Madmen! All men of sense in this Island 
are faithful to the king, our master, from affection, 



228 CUBA. 

from gratitude, and a conviction that in her loyalty 
and union to the parent State, they hold the only 
guarantee which secures her well-being ; and that 
the day which severs these sacred bonds will be 
the last of her happiness and even of her exist- 
ence. The ridiculous conspiracy is discovered, 
which could only have proved disastrous to the 
malcontents who projected it. Those who may 
be convicted of the crime will be punished with 
all the rigor of our laws, because public venge- 
ance as well as our safety demands it. Citizens 
of Cuba, repose entire confidence in your chief 
magistrate, who, assisted by his colleagues, has 
done and will do his duty, to sustain you in the 
enjoyment of all your present benefits, fulfilling 
the oft-repeated orders of the king, our lord, 
which are so grateful to his heart that it never 
throbs with pleasure except when contemplating 
you as contented and happy." 

This proclamation is worthy of especial note 
for two things : First, Its colossal hypocrisy ; and, 
second, that in it was first coined and given to the 
world the now famous phrase, ''Ever-faithful 
Isle." 

Xacon's Administration. 

The manner In which Cuba was governed In 
the middle of the present century, and In which 
the slave trade was managed, was well described 
by a writer in 1854, as follows : 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 229 

'' So well regulated is the police of Cuba that 
not a single negro can be landed on its shores 
without the knowledge or permission of the 
Captain-General. For this permission he receives 
a fee of ten dollars per negro, which, on the aver- 
age of 15,000 annual importations, forms a very 
large addition to his income of ^150,000. Gen- 
eral Tacon, who was Governor from June, 1834, 
till April, 1838, is known to have expended the 
greatest part, if not the whole, of the fees he de- 
rived from this source in ornamental improve- 
ments of Havana and its vicinity, from which he 
had no pecuniary benefit whatever. During the 
time he swayed the rule in Havana, about 60,000 
Africans were imported, and his having expended 
the whole of the emoluments, amounting to the 
large sum of $600,000, in public improvements, is 
a satisfactory proof that, in conniving at the slave 
trade, and in exacting a fee for so doing, he was actu- 
ated by no selfish considerations. In this he was 
honorably distinguished from his predecessors, who 
not only appropriated to themselves as part of the 
legitimate emoluments of their office, the fees 
arising out of the slave trade, but were so amena- 
ble to the influence of money as to make no scru- 
ple of screening the most atrocious criminals, pro- 
vided they could offer a bribe sufficiently high. 

Till the time Tacon became Captain-General 
robberies, assassmations and crimes of every 



230 CUBA. 

kind were rife in Havana ; the perpetrators well 
knowing that, as long as they had money to 
bribe, they were safe from punishment ; but Tacon 
soon caused a rapid and sanatory change to take 
place. Energetic and indefatigable in their detec- 
tion, he punished criminals with a certainty and 
severity that knew of no remission ; and by doing 
so, he, in an incredibly short time, effected such 
an improvement that even throughout the whole 
island crimes against the person were almost un- 
heard of ; and in the city of Havana, where it had 
been unsafe to go out on foot after dark, and 
where robberies were . often committed in the 
street in open day, there was now perfect security 
at all hours of the night. 

Cultivating- tlie Slave Trade. 
Frauds on the revenue also, which had been 
carried on to a great extent, were speedily de- 
tected and punished by this energetic officer ; 
and, in fact, social crime of every degree was 
followed so certainly, during the whole period of 
his government, by such prompt and severe 
punishment, that latterly it seemed as if no temp- 
tation was strong enough to call it into existence. 
To this wise and laudable policy the African 
slave trade alone formed a grand exception. 
That unhallowed traffic, on the contrary, received 
a great additional stimulus from the regulations 
made by Tacon with regard to it. Instead of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 23 1 

leaving the price paid for connivance to be reg- 
ulated solely by the cupidity of the governor and 
his subordinates, on the one hand, and the fears 
of the slave dealers on the other, he fixed the 
whole amount at one ounce or $17.00; ten of 
which were to go to the governor, and the rest 
amongst the subordinates. In this way a security 
and apparent legality were given to the transac- 
tions of the slave dealers, which they never 
previously possessed ; and the consequence was 
that the number of annual importations rose 
rapidly from 10,000 to 15,000, and it has con- 
tinued more or less ever since. 

From the line of conduct pursued by Tacon, 
it is very evident that he did not consider the 
slave trade in the light of a truly criminal pursuit, 
and that his private instructions must have been 
rather to encourage than to suppress it. He 
promptly and rapidly put down all other crimes 
and even venal frauds on the revenue, with a 
celerity and efficiency almost incredible; and the 
slave trade alone, the most easily reached, was 
allowed to be carried on, not only with impunity, 
but so fostered and protected as to increase by 
fifty per cent, the number of its annual importa- 
tions. The only key to his conduct is to be found 
in the supposition that it was regulated by secret 
instructions from his own government. Had these 
instructions been to suppress the trade, it could 



232 CUBA. 

not have lasted a day — it could not have been 
carried on at all. 

Creole Pride. 

It appears a singular assertion to make, that 
the natives of Cuba, constituting almost the whole 
proprietary of the country, were, at that time, for 
many and various reasons proper to themselves, 
in favor of the entire abolition of the slave 
trade ; but although indolent, luxurious, and 
effeminate, prepared to resist, even to death, any 
attempt to emancipate their negroes. 

Proud, haughty, possessed of much wealth, 
and masters of a great portion of all the estates 
or plantations at present in cultivation, the Cre- 
oles of Cuba hardly deign to call themselves 
Spaniards, preferring the appellation of Havan- 
eros, or Creollos de Cuba. Generally speaking, 
they never went to Spain, but resided constantly 
either on their estates in the country, or in their 
town residences In Havana, Saint Jago de Cuba, 
or Matanzas. They were proud of their native 
city of Havana, and of the island of Cuba, as the 
land of their birth and their home ; and looking 
upon the European Spaniards more In the light 
of intruders than fellow-countrymen, they held 
them In little estimation, and as greatly their 
inferiors in rank and station. 

The power of the government was, however, 
all in the hands of the Europeans, whose enor- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 233 

mous exactions and iron rule engendered feelings 
of the bitterest hatred towards them on the part 
of the Creoles ; and these feelings were all exag- 
gerated by the galling reflection that this tyranny 
was exercised over them by people whom their 
pride held in supreme contempt. 

They were, therefore, anxious to get rid of 
them and were unwilling that any European should 
settle or obtain a footing amongst them. The 
slave trade, however, sadly interfered with them 
in this respect, by bringing fresh supplies of ne- 
groes for the formation of new estates. These 
were established almost entirely by old Spaniards 
who had resided for a considerable number of 
years in the island, engaged in the service of 
government, or in commercial or other specula- 
tions, and who, having left the mother country 
early in life, had, while acquiring wealth, engen- 
dered tastes and habits ill-suited to European 
manners or customs. Instead, therefore, of return- 
ing to Spain, they sought for some profitable 
method of investing their money in the country 
where they had determined to remain. They 
naturally enough looked to the purchase of land 
and the formation of sugar and coffee estates, 
which the facilities afforded by the slave trade for 
the purchase of African negroes rendered an easy 
and by no means unprofitable undertaking. On 
the other hand, the Creoles, having already an 



234 CUBA. 

ample supply of negroes to cultivate all their 
estate, neither wished nor required fresh importa- 
tions from Africa ; indeed, they considered these 
importations a positive pecuniary loss to them. 
The intrinsic money value of their negroes was 
thereby deteriorated, and the markets being more 
or less glutted with produce, the value of their 
crops was much diminished, and their annual in- 
comes consequently cut down. 

The Spanish planter, seldom leaving the 
island, had generally at the end of the year a 
handsome surplus revenue over all his expendi- 
ture ; this surplus he devoted to the improvement 
of his estates, or laid out in some profitable local 
investment. His town residence Avas a palace, 
and all his expenses were retained in the island. 
Wealth was thus accumulated, and the planters, 
merchants and artisans all experiencing the salu- 
tary effects of this system, needed only industry 
to acquire riches. 




n 



HAPTER VIII. 



ATTITUDE OF THE UNITED STATES TOWARD CUBA 

ADAMS ON ANNEXATION JEFFERSON TO MONROE 

VIEWS OF HENRY CLAY A BRITISH VIEW 

AMERICAN INTERESTS IN CUBA DANIEL WEB- 
STER THE QUESTION OF PURCHASE AN UN- 
EASY FEELING IN CUBA FURTHER DISCUSSION 

OF PURCHASE LATER EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION. 



N THE preceding chapter we have indicated 
in some measure the Hvely interest which the 
United States Government took, from the 
earliest times, in the welfare and destiny of 
Cuba. The close proximity of the island to our 
shores, the strategic importance of its position, 
and its own enormous wealth, led many Americans 
to desire its annexation to this country and to 
regard that as "manifest destiny." 

Adams on Annexation. 
The feelings of American statesmen in early 
years on this subject are clearly shown in many 
of their public utterances. For example, Mr. 
Adams, then Secretary of State, wrote in 1823 
to the United States Minister to Spain as fol- 
lows : 

•■' In the war between France and Spain, now 
commencing, other interests, peculiarly ours, will 

(235) 



236 CUBA. 

in all probability be deeply involved. Whatever 
may be the issue of this war, as between those 
two European powers, it may be taken for granted 
that the dominion of Spain upon the American 
continents, north and south, is irrevocably gone. 
But the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico still re- 
main nominally, and so far really, dependent 
upon her, that she yet possesses the power of 
transferring her own dominion over them, to- 
gether with the possession of them, to others. 
These islands, from their local position, are 
natural appendages to the North American con- 
tinent, and one of them (Cuba) almost in sight 
of our shores, from a multitude of considerations 
has become an object of transcendent importance 
to the commercial and political interests of our 
Union. Its commanding position, with reference to 
the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indian seas, the 
character of its population ; its situation midway 
between our southern coast and the island of San 
Domingo ; its safe and capacious harbor of the 
Havana, fronting a long line of our shores desti- 
tute of the same advantages ; the nature of its 
productions and of its wants, furnishing the sup- 
plies and needing the returns of a commerce 
immensely profitable and mutually beneficial, give 
it an importance in the sum of our national in- 
terests with which that of no other foreign terri- 
tory can be compared, and little inferior to that 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 237 

which binds the different members of this Union 
tog-ether. Such indeed are, between the interests 
of that island and of this country, the geographi- 
cal, commercial, moral and political relations 
formed by nature, gathering, in the process of 
time, and even now verging to maturity, that, in 
looking forward to the probable course of events 
for the short period of half a century, it is scarcely 
possible to resist the conviction that the annexa- 
tion of Cuba to our Federal republic will be indis- 
pensable to the continuance and integrity of the 
Union itself. 

'*It is obvious, however, that for this event 
we are not yet prepared. Numerous and for- 
midable objections to the extension of our ter- 
ritorial dominions beyond sea present themselves 
to the first contemplation of the subject; obstacles 
to the system of policy by which alone that result 
can be compassed and maintained are to be fore- 
seen and surmounted, both from at home and 
abroad ; but there are laws of political as well as 
of physical gravitation. And if an apple, severed 
by the tempest from its native tree, cannot choose 
but fall to the ground, Cuba forcibly disjoined 
from its own unnatural connection with Spain, 
and incapable of self-support, can gravitate only 
towards the North American Union which, by the 
same law of Nature, cannot cast her off from her 
bosom. 



238 CUBA. 

''The transfer of Cuba to Great Britain 
would be an event unpropitious to the interests 
of this Union. The opinion is so generally enter- 
tained, that even the groundless rumors that it 
was about to be accomplished, which have spread 
abroad, and are still teeming, may be traced to 
the deep and almost universal feeling of aversion 
to it, and to the alarm which the mere probability 
of its occurrence has stimulated. The question 
both of our right and of our power to prevent it, if 
necessary by force, already obtrudes itself upon 
our Councils, and the administration is called 
upon, in the performance of its duties to the 
nation, at least, to use all the means within its 
competency to guard against and forfend it." 
Jefferson to Monroe. 

A few weeks later in the same year Mr. 
Jefferson wrote to President Monroe as follows : 

'' Cuba alone seems at present to hold up a 
speck of war to us. Its possession by Great 
Britain would indeed be a great calamity to us. 
Could we induce her to join us in guaranteeing 
its independence against all the world, except 
Spain, it would be nearly as valuable, as if it were 
our own. But should she take it, I would not 
immediately go to war for it ; because the first 
war on other accounts will give it to us, or the 
island will give itself to us when able to do so." 

Again Mr. Jefferson wrote to President Mon- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 239 

roe on this same subject : " It is better to lie still, 
in readiness to receive that interesting incorpora- 
tion when solicited by herself, for certainly her 
addition to our confederacy is exactly what is 
wanted to round out our power as a nation to the 
point of its utmost interest." 

Vievrs of Henry Clay. 

Mr. Clay, while Secretary of State, in 1825, 
instructed the Ministers of the United States in 
the principal European capitals, to announce ''that 
the United States, for themselves, desired no 
change in the political condition of Cuba ; that 
they were satisfied that it should remain, open as 
it now is, to their commerce, and that they could 
not with indifference see it passing from Spain to 
any other European power." To this, in another 
communication, Mr. Clay added: ''You will now 
add that we could not consent to the occupation 
of those islands (Cuba and Porto Rico) by any 
other European power than Spain under any con- 
tingency whatever." 

A Britisli View. 

Lord Ellenborough, then a Cabinet Minister 
in the administration of the Duke of Wellington, 
wrote in his diary under date of February 8th, 
1830, as follows: 

' ' It appears, on looking over the papers of 1 8 2 5 
and 1826, that so far from our having prohibited 
Mexico and Columbia from making any attack 



240 CUBA. 

Upon Cuba, we uniformly abstained from doing 
anything of the kind. The Americans declared 
that they could not see with indifference any State 
other than Spain in possession of Cuba, and, 
further, their disposition to interpose their power, 
should war be conducted in Cuba in a devastating 
manner, and with a view to the excitement of a 
servile war." 

The British Government suggested, in 1825, 
to the governments of France and of the United 
States, the making of a joint declaration by the 
three governments that they would not permit 
Cuba to be wrested from Spain. This was in- 
tended as an inducement to Spain to acknowledge 
the independence of the South American States. 
The United States Government held this under 
advisement but France declined it, and it was 
dropped. Afterward the United States refused 
to enter into any joint arrangements with foreign 
powers concerning Cuba. 

American Interests in Cuba. 

When Mr. Gallatin was the United States 
Minister at London he tried to impress strongly 
upon the British Government that it was impos- 
sible that the United States could acquiesce in 
the conquest by, or transfer of Cuba to any great 
maritime power. 

Mr. Van Buren, while Secretary of State in 
1829, wrote as follows : 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 24 1 

*'The Government has always looked with 
the deepest interest upon the fate of those islands, 
but particularly of Cuba. Its geographical po- 
sition, which places it almost in sight of our 
southern shores, and, as it were, gives it the 
command of the Gulf of Mexico and the West- 
Indian seas, its safe and capacious harbors, its 
rich productions, the exchange of which for our 
surplus agricultural products and manufactures 
constitutes one of the most extensive and valuable 
branches of our foreign trade, render it of the 
utmost importance to the United States that no 
change should take place in its condition which 
might injuriously affect our political and com- 
mercial standing in that quarter. Other con- 
siderations connected with a certain class of our 
population make it to the interest of the southern 
section of the Union that no attempt should be 
made in that island to throw off the yoke of 
Spanish dependence, the first effect of which 
would be the sudden emancipation of a numerous 
slave population, which result could not but be 
very sensibly felt upon the adjacent shores of the 
United States." 

Daniel UVetoster. 

An interesting contribution to the discussion 

of the Cuban question was made by Daniel 

Webster when he was Secretary of State in 1843, 

in a letter to the American Minister to Spain. 

14 



242 CUBA. 

Commenting on some secret correspondence 
which had very recently come to his attention, 
he wrote : 

''It is represented that the situation of Cuba 
is at this moment in the highest degree dangerous 
and critical, and that Great Britain has resolved 
upon its rule ; that Spain does not or will not see 
this intention, and that the authorities of the 
island are utterly incompetent to meet the crisis ; 
that although, according to the treaty of 18 17, 
the slave trade ought not to have been carried on 
by any subject of Spain, it has, nevertheless, been 
continued in full vigor up to the year 1841, not- 
withstanding the incessant remonstrances of the 
British Government, which was better informed, 
it is said, from month to month, of everything 
that took place in the island than the Captain- 
General himself. It is alleged that the British 
Ministry and abolition societies, finding themselves 
foiled or eluded by the Colonial and home gov- 
ernments, have therefore resolved, not perhaps 
without secretly congratulating themselves upon 
the obstinacy of Spain, upon accomplishing their 
object in a different method by the total and im- 
mediate ruin of the island. Their agents are 
said to be now there in great numbers, offering 
independence to the Creoles, on condition that 
they will unite with the colored people in effecting 
a general emancipation of the slaves, and in 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 243 

converting the Government into a black military 
republic, under British protection. 

" The local authorities are believed not to be 
entirely ignorant of the perils which environ 
them, but are regarded as so torpid as not to be 
competent to understand the extent and immi- 
nence of those perils, nor the policy by which 
Great Britain is guided. The wealthy planters 
are described as equally blind to the great danger 
in which they stand of losing their property. 
They go on, it is said, as usual, buying negroes, 
clamoring for the continuation of the trade, and 
denouncing as seditious persons and friends of 
Great Britain the few who resist the importation 
of slaves and encourage the immigration of free 
whites." 

The Question of Purcliase. 

This alleged plan of the British did not 
materialize. But the report of it served to 
quicken the zeal of Americans for the acquisition 
of Cuba and to strengthen their warnings against 
interference in the affairs of that island by any 
other power. The Secretary of State, Mr. 
Forsyth, wrote to the Minister to Spain in 1840: 
''You are authorized to assure the Spanish 
Government that in case of any attempt, from 
whatever quarter, to wrest from her this portion 
of her territory, she may securely depend upon 
the military and naval resources of the United 



244 CUBA. 

States to aid her either in preserving or recover- 
ing it." 

Again Mr. Buchanan, when Secretary of State 
in 1 847, wrote : The United States will not tolerate 
any invasions of Cuba by citizens of neutral 
States. 

The question of purchasing the island from 
Spain for cash now became an urgent one. In 
1848 President Polk went so far as to propose 
through the American Minister to Spain, a trans- 
ference of the island to the United States for the 
small sum of ^1,000,000. Ten years later a 
similar proposal was made in Congress, the sum 
then named being ^30,000,000. That proposition 
was, however, withdrawn after some discussion. 
Still later the sum of J 100,000,000 was mentioned. 

"As to the purchase of Cuba from Spain," 
writes Mr. Clayton, the Secretary of State, in 1849, 
"we do not desire to renew the proposition made 
by the late administration on this subject. It 
is understood'* that the proposition made by 
our late Minister at Madrid, under instructions 
from this department, or from the late President 
of the United States, was considered by the 
Spanish ministry as a national indignity, and that 
the sentiment of the Ministry was responded by 
the Cortes. After all that has occurred, should 
Spam desire to part with the island, the propo- 
sition for its cession to us should come from her." 



to 
a 

CTiS. 

al 

® s 







FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 247 

This referred, of course, to President Polk's 
offer to purchase the island, and indicates the 
manner in which that offer was received by the 
Spanish Government. 

An Uneasy f^eeling- in Cuba. 

In his third annual messao^e, in 1852, Presi- 
dent Fillmore discussed the affairs of Cuba in the 
following terms : 

"The affairs of Cuba formed a prominent 
topic in my last annual message. They remain 
in an uneasy condition, and the feeling of alarm 
and irritation on the part of the Cuban authorities 
appears to exist. This feeling has interfered with 
the regular commercial intercourse between the 
United States and the island, and led to some 
acts of which we have a right to complain. But 
the Captain-General of Cuba is clothed with no 
power to treat with foreign governments, nor is 
he in any degree under the control of the Spanish 
Minister at Washington. Any communication 
which he may hold with an agent of a foreign 
power is informal and a matter of courtesy. Anx- 
ious to put an end to the existing inconveniences, 
I directed the newly-appointed Minister to Mexico 
to visit Havana. He was respectfully received by 
the Captain-General, who conferred with him 
freely on the recent occurrences, but no perma- 
nent arrangement was effected. In the meantime 
the refusal of the Captain-General to allow pas- 



248 CUBA. 

sengers and the mail to be landed in certain 
cases, for a reason which does not furnish, in 
the opinion of this government, even a good 
presumptive ground for such a prohibition, has 
been made the subject of a serious remonstrance 
at Madrid. 

" Early in the present year official notes 
were received from the Ministers of France and 
England inviting the Government of the United 
States to become a party with Great Britain and 
France to a tri-partite convention, in virtue of 
which the free Powers should severally and col- 
lectively disclaim, now and for the future, all 
intention to obtain possession of the Island of 
Cuba, and should bind themselves to discounten- 
ance all attempts to that effect on the part of any 
power or individual whatever. This invitation 
has been respectfully declined. I have, however, 
directed the Ministers of France and England to 
be assured that the United States entertain no 
designs against Cuba, but that, on the contrary, 
I should regard its incorporation into the Union 
at the present time as fraught with serious peril." 

Mr. Fillmore's reluctance to have Cuba an- 
nexed to the United States was, of course, due to 
a fear that it would disturb the social conditions 
of the Southern States as well as alter the balance 
of power between the slave and free parties of 
the Union. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 249 

Further Discussion of Purchase. 

In the summer of 1854 the United States 
Ministers at London, Paris and Madrid held a 
conference to consider the possible adjustment of 
the relations of the United States with Spain in 
respect to Cuba. The result of their meeting 
was a letter to the Secretary of State in which 
they said: 

" Our past history forbids that we should 
acquire the island of Cuba without the consent of 
Spain unless justified by the great law of self- 
preservation. We must, in any event, preserve 
our own conscious rectitude and our self-respect. 
Whilst pursuing this course, we can afford, to dis- 
regard the censures of the world, to which we 
have been so often and so unjustly exposed. 
After we shall have offered Spain a price for Cuba, 
far beyond its present value, and this shall have 
been refused, it will then be time to consider the 
question, "Does Cuba, in the possession of Spain, 
seriously endanger our internal peace and the 
existence of our cherished Union?" Should this 
question be answered in the affirmative, then by 
every law, human and divine, we shall be justified 
in wresting it from Spain, if we possess the power ; 
and this upon the very same principle that would 
justify an individual in tearing down the burning 
house of his neighbor if there were no other means 
of preventing the flames from destroying his own 



f5@ mJ-BA, 

home. Under such circumstances, we ought 
neither to count the cost nor regard the odds 
which Spain might enHst against us." 

Pursuing the same subject President Buch- 
anan who had been one of the authors and sio^n- 
ers of the letter just quoted, said in his second 
annual message in 1858 : 

'' The truth is that Cuba, in its existing 
colonial condition, is a constant source of in- 
jury and annoyance to the American people. 
It has been made known to the world by my 
predecessors that the United States have, on 
several occasions, endeavored to acquire Cuba 
from Spain by honorable negotiation. The 
island of Cuba, from its geographical posi- 
tion, commands the mouth of the Mississippi 
and the immense and annually increasing trade 
from the valley of that noble river. With that 
island under the dominion of a distant foreign 
power, this trade, of vital importance to these 
States, is exposed to the danger of being destroyed 
in time of war, and it has hitherto been subjected 
to perpetual injury and annoyance in time of 
peace. Whilst the possession of the island would 
be of vast importance to the United States, its 
value to Spain is comparatively unimportant. 
Such was the relative situation of the parties 
when the great Napoleo^^ transferred Louisiana 
to the United States." 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. g5I 

Again in his third annual message in 1859 
President Buchanan said : "I need not repeat the 
arguments which I urged in my last annual mes- 
sage, in favor of the acquisition of Cuba by fair 
purchase. My opinions on that measure remain 
unchanged. I therefore again invite the serious 
attention of Congress to this important subject." 
And in his fourth annual message he said : "I 
reiterate the recommendation in favor of the 
acquisition of Cuba from Spain by fair purchase. 
I firmly believe that such an acquisition would 
contribute essentially to the well-being and pros- 
perity of both countries in all future time, as well 
as prove the certain means of immediately abolish- 
ing the African slave-trade throughout the world." 
I^ater Hxpressions of Opinion. 

After Mr. Buchanan's utterances, above 
quoted, the great Civil War in America came on 
and of course distracted attention from all other 
matters. The abolition of slavery in this country 
also materially changed the feeling of the public 
and the Government toward Cuba. Then came 
the Ten-Years' War for independence in Cuba, 
with a vast amount of friction between the 
United States and Spain. During those ten 
years the Cuban question was much considered 
by the Government at Washington, both by 
President Grant in his various messages and by 
the Secretary of State. 



252 CUBA. 

Mr. Fish, the Secretary of State, wrote to 
our Minister to Spain in 1874 that Cuba, "Hke 
the former continental colony of Spain in America, 
ought to belong to the great family of American 
Republics. The desire of independence on the 
part of the Cubans is a natural and legitimate 
aspiration of theirs, because they are Americans. 
That the ultimate issue of events in Cuba will be 
its independence, however that issue may be pro- 
duced, whether by means of negotiation, or as the 
result of military operations or of one of those 
unexpected incidents which so frequently deter- 
mine the fate of nations, it is impossible to doubt. 
It is one of those conclusions which have been 
aptly termed the inexorable logic of events. En- 
tertaining these views, the President at an early 
day tendered to the Spanish Government the 
good offices of the United States for the purpose 
of effecting, by negotiation, the peaceful separa- 
tion of Cuba from Spain, and thus putting a stop 
to the further effusion of blood in the island, and 
relieving both Cuba and Spain from the calamities 
and charges of a protracted civil war, and of de- 
livering the United States from the constant haz- 
ard of inconvenient complications on the side 
either of Spain or of Cuba. But the well-intended 
proffers of the United States on that occasion 
were unwisely rejected by Spain, and, as it was 
then already foreseen, the struggle has continued 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 253 

in Cuba, with incidents of desperate tenacity on 
the part of the Cubans, and of angry fierceness 
on the part of the Spaniards, unparalleled in the 
annals of modern warfare. 

" Meanwhile this condition of things grows, 
day by day, more and more insupportable to the 
United States. The Government is compelled to 
exert constantly the utmost vigilance to prevent 
infringement of our law on the part of Cubans 
purchasing munitions or materials of war, or 
laboring to fit out military expeditions in our 
ports ; we are constrained to maintain a large 
naval force to prevent violations of our sove- 
reignty, either by the Cubans or the Spaniards ; 
our people are horrified and agitated by the spec- 
tacle, at our very doors, of war, not only with all 
its ordinary attendance of devastation and car- 
nage, but with accompaniments of barbarous 
shooting of prisoners of war, or their summary 
execution by military commissions, to the scandal 
and disgrace of the age ; we are under the ne- 
cessity of interposing continually for the protection 
of our citizens against wrongful acts of the local 
authorities of Spain in Cuba ; and the public peace 
is every moment subject to be interrupted by 
some unforeseen event, to drive us at once to the 
brink of war with Spain. In short, the state of 
Cuba is the one great cause of perpetual solici- 
tude in the foreign relations of the United States." 



CHAPTER IX. 



OUTBREAK OF THE TEN YEARS' WAR IN 1 868 

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE THE 

SPANISH REPLY WAR IN EARNEST PROCLA- 
MATION OF FREEDOM REGULAR GOVERNMENT 

FORMED VALMASEDa's BLOODY ORDERS 

AMERICAN SYMPATHY EXPRESSED A SPECIAL 

MESSAGE. 




HAT APPEARED to be at last the 
dawn of deliverance for Cuba came 
in 1868. On October loth of that 
year the illustrious patriot Cespedes raised the 
five-barred and single-starred flag of Cuba at 
Yara in the District of Bayamo and, with his 
associates, made public a declaration of inde- 
pendence. The advance party in Cuba at once 
cast in their lot with him, and the insurrection 
quickly assumed formidable dimensions in the 
Eastern portion of the island. Cespedes was a 
native Cuban of distinguished ancestry and high 
culture. He was a lawyer by profession, but 
owned a considerable estate. He began his 
work for Cuba by giving his two hundred slaves 
their liberty, whereupon to a man they enlisted 
under the banner of the Cuban Republic and 

(254) 




m 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 257 

followed him faithfully through many battles. 
The chief leader of the Cuban armies at that time 
and during the years that followed was Maximo 
Gomez, who is now Commander-in-Chief of the 
Revolutionary army. 

Xlie Declaration of Independence. 

The patriots who thus took up arms for 
Cuba were proud to call themselves laboring men. 
They were, in fact, known as the "Junta of the 
Laborers." The following is the proclamation 
which they made to the public : 

"The laborers, animated by the love for 
their native land, aspire to the hope of seeing 
Cuba happy and prosperous by virtue of its own 
power, and demand the inviolability of individuals, 
their homes, their families, and the fruits of their 
labor, which it will have guaranteed by the liberty 
of conscience, of speech, of the press, by peace- 
ful meetings ; in fact, they demand a Government 
of the country for and by the country, free from 
an army of parasites and soldiers that only serve 
to consume it and oppress it. And, as nothing 
of that kind can be obtained from Spain, they 
intend to fight it with all available means, and 
drive and uproot its dominion on the face of Cuba. 
Respecting above all and before all the dignity 
of man, the association declares that it will not 
accept slavery as a forced inheritance of the past; 
however, instead of abolishing it as an arm by 



258 CUBA. 

which to sink the island into barbarity, as threat- 
ened by the Government of Spain, they view 
aboHtion as a means of improving the moral and 
material condition of the workingman, and thereby 
to place property and wealth in a more just and 
safe position. 

" Sons of their times, baptized in the vivid 
stream of civilization and therefore above pre- 
occupation of nationality, the laborers will respect 
the neutrality of Spaniards, but among Cubans 
will distinguish only friends and foes, those that 
are with them or against them. To the former 
they offer peace, fraternity and concord ; to the 
latter, hostility and war — war and hostility that 
will be more implacable to the traitors in Cuba 
where they first saw the day, who turn their arms 
against them, or offer any asylum or refuge to 
their tyrants. We, the laborers, ignore the 
value of nationality, but at the present moment 
consider it of secondary moment. Before nation- 
ality stands liberty, the indisputable condition of 
existence. We must be a people before becom- 
ing a nation. When the Cubans constitute a free 
people they will receive the nationality that be- 
comes them. Now they have none." 

The Declaration of Independence was made 
on October loth. Eight days later the town of 
Bayamo was captured by the insurgents, and ten 
days after that the whole district of Holguin rose 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 259 

in arms. Early in November the insurgents 
defeated a Spanish force which had been sent 
against them from Santiago, and soon after this 
most. of the Spanish American RepubHcs of South 
America recognized the Cubans as belHgerents. 
The Marquis of Santa Lucia, the present Pres- 
ident of the provisional government, quickly 
identified himself with the patriot cause and 
brought it many recruits. In December, General 
Quesada landed in Cuba with an expedition from 
Nassau, bringing a considerable consignment of 
arms and ammunition. So rapidly did the cause 
prosper that by April loth, 1869, it was possible 
to organize a regular government with an elected 
House of Assembly. Cespedes was President of 
the government, and General Quesada was made 
Commander-in-Chief of the army. 

Xlie Spanisli Reply. 

The Spanish Captain-General at Havana real- 
ized the seriousness of the situation, and strove to 
stem the tide of patriotic enthusiasm by issuing a 
proclamation to the people of Cuba, promising all 
sorts of things if they would only remain loyal to 
Spain. He said : 

*'I will brave every danger, accept every 
responsibility for your welfare. The Revolution 
has swept away the Bourbon dynasty, tearing up 
the roots, a plant so poisonous that it putrefied 
the air we breathed. To the citizen shall be 



260 CUBA. 

returned his rights, to man his dignity. You 
will receive all the reforms which you require. 
Cubans and Spaniards are all brothers. From 
this day Cuba will be considered as a province of 
Spain. Freedom of the press, the right of meet- 
ing in public, and representation in the national 
Cortes, the three fundamental principles of true 
liberty, are granted you. 

''Cubans and Spaniards! Speaking in the 
name of our mother, Spain, I adjure you to forget 
the past, hope for the future, and establish union 
and fraternity." 

This proclamation had no effect whatever 
upon the Cubans except to excite their contempt 
and derision for its bombastic hypocrisy, and to 
make them all the more resolved to set their 
country free from the Spanish yoke. 
'War in Harnest. 

Seeing that the patriots were resolute, the 
Captain-General called for troops from Spain and 
they were quickly sent in large numbers. The 
freedom of the press throughout the island was 
summarily abolished and martial law was pro- 
claimed everywhere. The citizens of Havana 
were ordered to contribute the sum of $25,000,- 
000 for the use of the Government 

By February, 1869, heavy fighting began. 
The first important victory for the patriots oc- 
curred at San Cristoval, twenty-two leagues 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 26 1 

west from Havana. Another battle took 
place at Quanajay, eleven leagues from 
Havana on the north coast. Nothing but the 
timely arrival of reinforcements from Count Val- 
maseda prevented the patriots from capturing 
Santiago. Havana was soon practically in a 
state of siege. The telegraph was destroyed and 
the mails stopped at Trinidad. The Spanish 
troops on February 7th, burned the town of San 
Miguel. The Insurgents adopted the method of 
warfare which they are now again pursuing, 
namely, to keep moving from one point to 
another, baffling pursuit and tiring out their 
enemies. To make the progress of the Spanish 
armies more difficult they also destroyed bridges 
and railroads in many places. 

Tens of thousands of troops were hurried to 
the island from Spain and the Commander every- 
where gave orders that the war should be pur- 
sued in the most ruthless manner, no quarter 
being given and no prisoners taken. Yet the 
Spanish army was able to do no more than to 
hold its own. They defended the cities and large 
towns and fortified camps, but the vast bulk of 
the country had to be surrendered to the Insur- 
gents. Early in March a considerable battle was 
fought near Puerto Principe in which the loss of 
the Insurgents was nearly 1,000 killed and 
wounded. At this time the entire strength of 

15 



262 CUBA. 

the Insurgent forces under Gen. Quesada was 
not more than 7,000. The Spanish army was 
three or four times as large. But by clever 
strategy the Patriots were able not only to main- 
tain their position, but actually to take the field 
aggressively against their foes. 

Proclamation of Freedom. 

The patriot government in March, 1869, 
formally decreed the absolute abolition of slavery. 
It was arranged that the patriots should be in- 
demnified for the loss of their slaves, while the 
freedmen might become soldiers or farmers, 
according to their pleasure. 

An address was sent on March ist by Ces- 
pedes to the President of the United States, 
explaining the purpose of the insurrection and 
the causes that led to it and setting forth the 
reasons why the United States should accord to 
the Cubans belligerent rights and recognition of 
their independence. This was an eloquent and 
impressive document, which strongly appealed to 
the sympathies of President Grant and of the whole 
American people. At the same time the magni- 
tude of the Revolution and the stability of the 
new Government did not yet appear such as 
would warrant the recognition asked for. 
Resfular C^oirernment Forms. 

About a month later representatives from 
all parts of Cuba met and formed a national 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 263 

Congress at Guaimaro, a small town in the 
central part of the island. Gen. Cespedes re- 
signed to it his provisional authority as Chief of 
the Government, but was immediately and unan- 
imously elected Constitutional President of the 
Republic. Thereupon he issued the following 
inaugural address to the people of Cuba : 

" Compatriots : The establishment of a free 
Government in Cuba, on the basis of Democratic 
principles, was the most fervent wish of my 
heart. The effective realization of this wish 
was, therefore, enough to satisfy my aspirations 
and amply repay the services which, jointly with 
you, I may have been able to devote to the cause 
of Cuban independence. But the will of my 
compatriots has gone far beyond this, by invest- 
ing me with the most honored of all duties, the 
supreme magistracy of the Republic. 

'' I am not blind to the great labors required 
in the exercise of the high functions which you 
have placed in my charge in these critical 
moments, notwithstanding the aid that may be 
derived from the other powers of the State. I 
am not ignorant of the grave responsibility which 
I assume in accepting the Presidency of our new- 
born Republic. I know that my weak powers 
would be far from being equal to the demand if 
left to themselves alone. But this will not occur, 
and that conviction fills me with faith in the future. 



264 CUBA. 

"In the act of beginning- the struggle with 
the oppressors, Cuba has assumed the solemn 
duty to consummate her independence or perish 
in the attempt ; and in giving herself a Demo- 
cratic Government she obligates herself to become 
a Republic. This double obligation, contracted 
in the presence of free America, before the lib- 
eral world, and, what is more, before our own 
conscience, signifies our determination to be 
heroic and to be virtuous. On your heroism I 
rely for the consummation of our independence, 
and on your virtue I count to consolidate the 
RepubHc." 

Two days afterward there appeared a pro- 
clamation issued to the army by Gen. Ouesada, 
the Commander-in-Chief It urged the Cubans 
to wage brave and vigorous warfare against their 
oppressors and reminded them of the ferocious 
character of the Spanish leaders. He said : 

'T implore you, sons of Cuba, to recollect 
at all hours the proclamation of Valmaseda. That 
document will shorten the time necessary for the 
triumph of our cause. That document is an ad- 
ditional proof of the character of our enemies. 
Those beings appear deprived even of those gifts 
which Nature has conceded to the irrational — the 
instinct of foresight and of warning. We have to 
struggle with tyrants, always such — the very same 
ones of the Inquisition, of the conquest, and of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 265 

Spanish domination in America. We have to 
combat with the assassins of women and children, 
with the mutilators of the dead, with the idola- 
ters of gold. If you would save your honor and 
that of your families, if you would conquer for- 
ever your liberty — be soldiers." 

Valmaseda's Bloody Orders. 

The proclamation of Valmaseda, referred to 
by General Quesada, was indeed a most infamous 
document. It was issued by him on April 4th, 
1869, and reads as follows : 

"Inhabitants of the country ! The reinforce- 
ments of troops that I have been waiting for 
have arrived ; with them I shall give protection 
to the good, and punish promptly those that still 
remain in rebellion against the government of the 
metropolis. 

''You know that I have pardoned those who 
have fought us with arms ; that your wives, 
mothers, and sisters have found in me the unex- 
pected protection that you have refused them. 
You know, also, that many of those we have par- 
doned have turned against us again. 

'' Before such ingratitude, such villany, it is 
not possible for me to be the man that I have been ; 
there is no longer a place for a falsified neutrality ; 
he that is not for me is against me ; and that my 
soldiers may know how to distinguish, you hear 
the order they carry : 



266 CUBA. 

'' I St. Every man, from the age of fifteen 
years upward, found away from his habitation 
(finca), and who does not prove a justified motive 
therefor, will be shot. 

" 2d. Every habitation unoccupied will be 
burned by the troops. 

'' 3d. Every habitation from which does not 
float a white flag, as a signal that its occupants 
desire peace, will be reduced to ashes. 

''Women that are not living at their own 
homes, or at the houses of their relatives, will 
collect in the town of Jiguani, or Bayamo, where 
maintenance will be provided. Those who do 
not present themselves will be conducted forcibly. 

''The foregoing determinations will com- 
mence to take effect on the 14th of the present 
month." 

In what manner this order was executed, we 
shall presently see. 

American Sytnpathy Kxpressed. 

Numerous expeditions of men and cargoes 
of arms and ammunition were soon conveyed to 
Cuba from the United States, and many American 
citizens did admirable work in the patriot army. 
A number of severe battles were fought during 
1869, in which the patriots generally were vic- 
torious. In October there was an epidemic of 
cholera which, in a few days, carried off thousands 
of the Spanish troops, while the Cubans, who 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 267 

were not attacked by the disease at all, spent 
their time in drilling and preparing for further 
operations. The burning of sugar plantations 
became general. More than i6o large plantations 
belonging to Cubans were confiscated by the 
Spaniards, who hoped to get much money out of 
the crops. To prevent this, the insurgents raided 
these plantations and destroyed the cane by fire. 

In November the Cuban Junta in the United 
States was reorganized at New York, and began 
doing excellent service for the patriot cause. 
The sympathy of the American people with the 
Cubans was very strong and well-nigh universal. 
It was openly expressed by President Grant in 
his message to Congress in December. He took, 
however, the ground that "the contest had at no 
time assumed the conditions which amount to a 
war in the sense of international war, or which 
would show the existence of a political organiza- 
tion of the Insurgents sufficient to justify a recog- 
nition of belligerency. 

A Special Messagfe. 

Six months later, in June, 1870, President 
Grant deemed the matter of such importance as 
to require discussion in a special message to Con- 
gress in which he said : "During the six months 
which have passed the condition of the insurgents 
has not improved, and the insurrection itself, 
although not subdued, exhibits no signs of advance, 



268 CUBA. 

but seems to be confined to an irregular system 
of hostilities, carried on by small and illy-armed 
bands of men, roaming without concentration 
through the woods and the sparsely populated 
regions of the island, attacking from ambush 
convoys and small bands of troops, burning plan- 
tations and the estates of those not sympathizing 
with their cause. 

*' But, if the insurrection has not gained 
ground, it is equally true that Spain has not sup- 
pressed it. Climate, disease, and the occasional 
bullet have worked destruction among the sol- 
diers of Spain ; and, although the Spanish author- 
ities have possession of every seaport and every 
town on the island, they have not been able to 
subdue the hostile feeling which has driven a con- 
siderable number of the native inhabitants of the 
island to armed resistance against Spain, and still 
leads them to endure the dangers and privations 
of the roaming life of a guerrilla." 




CHAPTER X. 



SAVAGE METHODS OF SPANISH SOLDIERS — SPANISH 

TESTIMONY MEAGRE NEWS IN HAVANA A 

REIGN OF CRUELTY CHARACTER OF THE WAR 

SAFETY OF HAVANA THE SPANISH MISTAKE 

STRENGTH OF THE PATRIOTS EFFECTS OF THE 

WAR UPON THE ISLAND RUINED TOWNS LITTLE 

FIGHTING MUCH DESTRUCTION TACTICS OF 

THE TWO ARMIES- — THE SPANIARDS HALF- 
HEARTED SLAUGHTER IN THE FIVE TOWNS 

OUTRAGES UPON WOMEN ATROCITIES OF CAMP 

FOLLOWERS. 



(f 



HE LETTER and spirit of Valmaseda's 
proclamation, which we quoted in the 
preceding chapter, were more than ful- 
filled. There is in all history no chapter more 
horrible than that which records the doings of that 
inhuman monster and his subordinates in Cuba 
during the Ten Years' War. Neither sex nor age 
was respected. The honor and lives of the popu- 
lation were at the mercy of the Spanish soldiery, 
and that soldiery included thousands of the vilest 
criminals that could be recruited from the prisons 
of the Old Country. One brigade of the Spanish 
army consisted exclusively of negroes of the most 
brutal character, and became famous, or rather 

(269) 



270 CUBA. 

infamous, as the ''Black Brigade," this name 
being- given to it not merely on account of the 
color of the men's faces, but still more because of 
the horrible nature of their deeds. 

Humanity and common decency forbid any- 
thing like a detailed account of the crimes com- 
mitted by Valmaseda and his chief assistant, 
Weyler, the present leader of the Spanish forces 
in Cuba. 

Spanisli Xestimony. 

Let us take the testimony of the Spanish 
officers themselves, as given in their letters. 
One of them, Jesus Rivocoba, wrote on Septem- 
ber 4, 1869 : 

"We captured seventeen, thirteen of whom 
were shot outright : on " dying they shouted, 
'Hurrah for free Cuba! hurrah for independence !' 
A mulatto said, 'Hurrah for Cespedes !' On the 
following day we killed a Cuban officer and 
another man. Among the thirteen that we shot 
the first day were found three sons and their 
father ; the father witnessed the execution of his 
sons without even changing color, and when his 
turn came he said he died for the independence 
of his country. On coming back we brought 
along with us three carts filled with women and 
children, the families of those we had shot ; and 
they asked us to shoot them, because they would 
rather die than live among Spaniards." 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 27 1 

Pedro Fardon, another officer, writes on 
September 22, 1869: 

'' Not a single Cuban will remain in this 
island, because we shoot all those we find in the 
fields, on the farms, and in every hovel." 

And again, on the same day, the same 
officer sends the following to his father : 

'' We do not leave a creature alive where we 
pass, be it man or animal." 

Meagrre ^e^ws in Havana* 

A shrewd and judicious observer of the war 
in 1873, says : 

'' We are indebted to the Diario de la Marina 
for reminding us that we are in a state of insur- 
rection. There is a civil war raging somewhere 
in Cuba. This is the depth of winter, a fact which, 
with the weather glass at '^^'^ in the shade, we are 
rather apt to forget ; it is the only season in the 
year propitious to military operations. The troops 
are in full march, and official bulletins reporting 
their progress are forwarded from headquarters 
and find their way into the daily papers. Such a 
commanding officer with certain battalions has 
come up with an insurgent band far away in 
some spot above Guantanamo in the district of 
Santiago de Cuba, in the southeastern extremity 
of the island. To attack the rebels and com- 
pletely to rout them was for the heroic Spanish 
troops one and the same thing. They killed many 



272 CUBA. 

of them, wounded many more and took fourteen 
horses and one rifle." In another report we hear 
there were "three rebels killed, seven prisoners, 
one of these latter wounded ; three muskets were 
taken, and fifteen small arms ; two able-bodied 
men surrendered." In another encounter the 
trophies were " six prisoners and a mule." And 
again, two prisoners and three fire-arms, with the 
surrender of forty between women and children 
personas de fa77iilia. These monotonous and some- 
what meagre accounts constitute the annals of 
the war. The bulletins are almost stereotyped, 
one seemingly a transcript of the other. By the 
people here they are read with a sneer and a 
shrug of the shoulders. Not that the reports need 
be altogether disbelieved, or that more credit 
should be given to the counter-statements circu- 
lating in whispers among the disaffected, by 
which the alleged encounters are celebrated as 
rebel victories. To hear these, the rebels' horses 
cannot have been taken in open fight, as the in- 
surgents have no horses, but from the inoffensive 
and defenceless peasantry upon whom the troops 
wreak the vengeance of their defeats. As to the 
killed and wounded, the prisoners, the women 
and children who surrendered, they are the ill- 
fated owners of the horses, who are treated as 
rebels if they venture to raise any complaint 
about the loss of their property. It little matters 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 273 

to which of the conflicting versions we Hsten, for 
in point of "imaginative" powers there is not a 
doit to choose between Creoles and Peninsulars. 
The phenomenon is that such skirmishing should 
go on from day to day for four years without 
more decisive results, and that, while both parties 
are at the trouble of inventing, they should task 
our credulity to no greater lengths. 
A Reigrn of Cruelty. 
"All allowance being made for gross exag- 
geration on both sides, there can be little doubt 
about the ruthless character of these Cuban 
hostilities. So long as I only read printed reports 
I might be loth to believe that "women and 
children have been murdered after nameless out- 
rages ; w^hole families hacked to pieces, prisoners 
invariably killed after horrible tortures — roasted 
alive, or their bodies mutilaced with grotesque 
indecency ;" but a closer approach to the scene 
of action has made me somewhat less skeptic, 
and at all events there can be no doubt that there 
is a vast deal of shooting in cold blood, as is freely 
admitted, not without much boasting, on either 
side. And property fares no better than human 
life in belligerents' hands. I know from the very 
best authority that in the district of Trinidad de 
Cuba, one of the oldest settlements in the central 
department of the island, about two-thirds of the 
sugar and coffee estates, and of the potreros, or 



2 74 CUBA. 

grazing farms, were either destroyed or aband- 
oned, and thrown out of cultivation before the 
end of 1 87 1. That magnificent valley was turned 
into a state of desolation from which it is now 
with difficulty struggling to recover. The same 
has been the fate of many of these old settlements 
in the central districts. Of late the movement 
has taken an easterly direction ; the insurgent 
bands are more frequently heard of in the neigh- 
borhood of Puerto Principe, Santiago, and 
Guantanamo, beyond the Trocha or military 
cordon, which the Spanish troops have estab- 
lished at Moron. 

Cliaracter of tlie ^War. 
"The nature of this war was determined 
partly by the conditions of the country and partly 
by the nature of the combatants. The island of 
Cuba is divided into three main departments, the 
Western, of which Havana is the capital, and 
which, so far as we can depend on the results of 
the census, had, in 1872, 1,034,616 inhabitants; 
the Central, capital Puerto Principe, with only 
75,725 inhabitants; the Eastern, capital Santiago 
de Cuba, with 249,096. The Western Depart- 
ment is the smallest, mostly level, and narrowest 
from sea to sea; it is in a great measure settled 
and prosperous, and here are the large sugar fac- 
tories and the tobacco plantations which constitute 
the enormous wealth of the island. In the Central 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 275 

Department, out of the 75,725 inhabitants 30,585 
Hve in the capital, Puerto Principe. If we allow 
only a few thousands for each of the towns of 
the department — Trinidad, Sagua la Grande, 
Villa Clara, San Juan de los Remedios, etc. — we 
must conclude that its rural districts are a mere 
desert, a large portion of the territory consisting 
of savannas which are deemed irreclaimable, and 
of dense forests or mere brushwood which is also 
looked upon as doomed to unmitigated barrenness. 
Of whatever was available and brought into culti- 
vation, not a little has succumbed to the havoc of 
the civil war. On the eastern side, which boasted 
the oldest colonies, Santiago, Baracoa, Bayamo, 
Guantanamo, etc., the valleys up to a certain 
height had. been made fruitful, and the mountains 
were covered with flourishing coffee estates, but 
not a little of the interior was left in a state of 
nature, and the vast tracts are marked, even in 
recent maps, as 'waste and uninhabited moun- 
tains,' or 'uncultivated and unexplored regions.' 
(J^Iontes desiertos e inctdtos ; terrenos inhabitados e 
incultos.) The Sierra Maestra, or main chain, 
running along the whole southern coast from Cabo 
Cruz to Punta de Mayzi, rises to a height of 8000 
feet, i. e., on a level with the loftiest Apennines. 
What culture there was in this region is rapidly 
disappearing. Many of the land-owners, with 
such wealth as they were able to save from 



276 CUBA. 

the wreck of their estates, have migrated to 
the United States, to Jamaica or other British 
possessions ; others have sold their slaves and 
cattle to the planters of the western or Havana 
department; and even in those districts from 
which, out of sheer exhaustion, the scourge of 
war has been removed, agriculture and industry 
find it difficult to revive, owing to the want of 
public confidence, as well as to the utter absence 
of capital and labor. 

Safety of Havana. 
''The Western Department has remained 
untouched throughout the struggle. Havana has 
little reason to distress itself about Cuban insur- 
rection. This prosperous, pleasure-loving city 
can afTord to make itself as easy about Cespedes 
and his rebels as New York ever was as to the 
skirmishes with the Modoc or other Red Indians 
on the borders of the remotest territories, or 
Milan with respect to Pallavicini's attacks on the 
brigand fastnesses in the Basilicate. Indeed, 
as I have before hinted, the Havana people have 
had not only nothing to lose, but simply too much 
to gain from the calamities by which two-thirds of 
the island have been laid desolate. Havana is 
the centre of an extensive net of railways — 
about 1000 miles as I learn from the ** Guide" — 
opening an easy and tolerably safe communication 
with Matanzas, Cardenas, and Sagua la Grande 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 277 

on the northern coast, with Villa Clara in the 
centre and with Batabano and Cienfuegos on the 
southern coast. Havana has also a regular 
weekly steam-packet intercourse on the north 
with Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua, Caibarien, 
Nuevitas, Jibara, and Baracoa ; and, on the south 
with Batabano, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Las Tunas, 
Santa Cruz, Manzanillo, Santiago, and Guantan- 
amo. But away from the wastes, and beyond 
the lines of railway, there is a vast debatable 
ground in which the insurrection can run riot, 
threatening now one, now another district, shifting 
its quarters according as it can hope to find means 
of subsistence, avoiding encounters, and escap- 
ing pursuit by withdrawing to its recesses of im- 
pervious forests or inaccessible mountains. 

'* The war which the troops attempt to wage 
against the insurgent bands, owing to the extreme 
heat and unhealthiness of the climate, Is only 
practicable in the winter months, between No- 
vember and May. Even in the immediate neigh- 
borhood of the cities, say half a mile from Ha- 
vana itself, the roads are abominable — mere 
tracks with deep ruts and holes, without the least 
attempt at macadamization ; such highways as 
hardly any country in Europe, the Spanish Penin- 
sula alone excepted, can any longer show. The 
troops at the opening of the campaign are con- 
veyed either by land or by sea to the localities 
16 



278 CUBA. 

where the railway or the steamer can bring them 
nearest to the suspected haunts of the insurgents ; 
and thence, after a few miles, they plunge into 
the forest, drawn up in two, three or more col- 
umns, each column cutting its way through the 
thick of the wood as it advances, until it falls in 
with the enemy, who, after a few shots from the 
vantage ground of his ambush, seeks safety in a 
precipitate retreat to still more tangled thickets 
and still more arduous mountain fastnesses. In 
frequent instances the troops, which are but indif- 
ferently served by spies and which by reason of 
the nature of the ground and their own paucity 
of numbers are incapable of deploying, investing 
or surrounding the enemy, wander for days and 
weeks without seeing a rebel; and a commissioner 
of the ' New York Herald ' who, anxious ' to 
see the fun ' as he said, asked and obtained per- 
mission to follow one of the columns in an attack 
on a mountain gorge near Guantanamo, had to 
come back after a very fatiguing ride which 
turned out a mere wild-goose chase, the gorge 
being as silent and solitary as it may have been 
before it was first trodden by mortal footsteps. 
The insurrection which first broke out at Yara 
in the territory of Bayamo, the native place of 
Cespedes, in the eastern department, spread at 
first into the central districts and ravaged the 
territory of the ' Cinco Villas,' threatening each 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 279 

of them, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, etc., by turns ; 
but routed at many points, it again shifted its 
ground to the eastern department, to that region 
of *Montes Desiertos eTerrenos Incultos,' where 
the troops can make no headway against it. Once 
only, in the whole course of four years, did the 
insurrection show any disposition to abandon its 
defensive attitude, and this was when, by a coup 
de mai7i, it swooped down upon Holquin, an 
inland town above Jibara. But even then the 
insurgents only held the town for a few hours, 
and withdrew without awaiting an encounter with 
the troops, after plundering the helpless inhabit- 
ants. From other towns the volunteers have 
hitherto at all times been sufficiently strong to 
ward off rebel attacks. 

Tlie Spanisli Mistake. 
"It is the opinion of competent persons that 
had the Madrid Government been able and 
willing to send a force of 30,000 or 40,000 men, 
choosing its best troops, and at once setting them 
to carve wide military roads through the bush, 
sweeping the whole rebel region as if by a grand 
battle on a well-laid and comprehensive plan, the 
disturbance would long since have been at an 
end ; for the fighting powers of the insurgents are 
absolutely below contempt. But the Spanish 
Government has always sent its forces by mere 
driblets — at the utmost 4,000 or 5,000 at a time ; 



28o CUBA. 

it has sent, not unfrequently, volunteer battalions 
from the cities, raw and unseasoned recruits — in 
a recent instance i,ooo Carlist prisoners, mere 
undiscipHned and ill-conditioned bandits — and it 
has limited its efforts to guerrilla operations ; a 
wayward and desultory mode of warfare in which 
its opponents were fully able to meet it with 
equal weapons. Of late the Government has 
had recourse to a strategy of Trochas, or military 
cordons, intended not to suppress the insur- 
rection, but only to hem it in if possible within 
certain limits. A line of that description has, as 
I said, been drawn from Moron all across the 
country to the southern coast ; thereby acknow- 
ledging the impotence of the troops to occupy 
and thoroughly subdue the interior of at least 
one-half of the island. Upon this footing it is 
reckoned the war has already led to the destruc- 
tion of 150,000 human lives; though the men 
actually slain in battle may perhaps be counted 
by hundreds, while thousands on the part of 
the insurgents have fallen victims to execu- 
tions after capture, and on the part of the 
soldiers to fever and cholera, the consequence of 
prolonged hardships, bad and scanty food, un- 
sheltered quarters, and the insalubrity of the 
climate. Competent military authorities have 
no great opinion of the tactics by which the 
Spanish generals now hope to shut in and en- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 283 

compass the rebels by their cordons, so as to 
isolate and localize the war. The scheme, they 
think, is a mere delusion ; for on the one hand 
the whole Spanish fleet would be insuflicient to 
blockade the many little bays and inlets with 
which the extensive coasts of the island are 
everywhere indented, protected as they are by 
their numberless cayos, or coral reefs covered 
with verdure which form a perfect shoal of islets 
stretching far out to sea and perplexing naviga- 
tion by their endless maze of intricate channels ; 
and, on the other hand, the forests in these 
regions are not only impenetrable, but, as ex- 
experience has proved, actually indestructible by 
fire, and their growth is so rapid that the 
tracks made in the winter are almost utterly 
obliterated before the summer is over, while 
the mountain ridges, rising one behind the 
other, enable the guerrilla bands to cross from 
vale to vale and from glen to glen with a be- 
wildering rapidity which seems to multiply their 
forces and invest them with the gift of ubiquity. 
Strengftli of ilie Patriots. 
** There is a bare possibility that the insur- 
rection may end in the utter extermination of the 
insurgents by breaking open and laying bare all 
their forest lairs and mountain haunts, and inter- 
secting the most savage districts with nets of roads 
and railroads, such as neither Cuba nor Spain her- 



284 CUBA. 

self can boast. But an enterprise of that nature 
would require heroic, gigantic and, above all, sus- 
tained and unremitting exertions. It could not be 
achieved by fits and starts — not by a five or six 
months' campaign, nor by any series of them. As 
to any possibility of starving, or wearying or dis- 
heartening the insurgents, that seems out of the 
question. They appear to be well supplied with 
arms and money ; they live on the wild fruits of 
the earth, on the yams, bananas, cocoanuts, and 
other productions which they, or their families, or 
the many free negroes enlisted in their ranks, 
cultivate the small patches of the uninvaded dis- 
tricts. They have also abundance of game, and 
they feast especially on a wild rat of a peculiar 
kind, as large as a cat and as tender as a kid, 
the flavor of which they prefer to that of any 
other meat. 

** They rely for recruits, or anything else they 
may want, on the sympathies of the Creole or na- 
tive population throughout the island, and in Hav- 
ana itself ; and where the goodwill of their friends 
fails, the greed and avarice of their enemies come 
to their aid ; for there are men in Havana and 
other cities — Spaniards and others — who, where 
there is anything to be gained, are as little scru- 
pulous about dealing with the one as with the 
other belligerent, and who, while supplying the 
soldiers, would sell their very souls to the insur- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 285 

gents, if these latter had any occasion for such 
a commodity, and could afford to pay for it. 
Nay, more ! I have been assured, though I have 
great reluctance in believing it, that some of the 
colonels and other officers in command of the 
columns of regular troops, manage to prolong 
hostilities either by ignoring the enemy when 
they have him in their toils and could compel 
him to give battle, or by showing great slowness 
and remissness in the pursuit when they have 
routed and put him to flight. Their dishonorable 
conduct seems to be actuated either by a desire 
to perpetuate a struggle which leads to speedy 
promotion, or by some other consideration of a 
baser and more sordid consideration. 

Hffects of tlie War upon tlie Island. 
'' No country in the world w-as intended for 
a finer, richer or happier abode of man than this 
** Pearl of the Antilles," nor could better have 
withstood the ravages of a four-years' civil war. 
Yet the results of that civil war begin to tell, at 
least on the central and eastern departments of 
the island w^here the beauty and fertility are more 
conspicuous. The port of Manzanillo, said the 
English Consul to me, w^as visited yearly before 
the insurrection by thirty to forty British vessels ; 
since then their number has dwindled down to 
eight or ten. And the same tale may be told of 
every harbor in the island, Havana alone, and 



286 CUBA. 

perhaps Matanzas and Cardenas excepted. Man- 
zanillo, like Cienfuegos, is a comparatively new- 
town. Its level territory, for a distance of ten to 
twelve leagues from the Sierra Maestra, was cut 
up into sugar estates, many of which have been 
burned or abandoned, while the others simply exist 
at the insurgents' discretion. No man can ven- 
ture half a league out of tow^n at night ; no man 
can travel even by day to Bayamo, a few leagues 
off, without an escort of at least sixty well-armed 
men. Yet the little seaport itself is considered 
safe from a coup de main, as it has been hastily 
surrounded with petty forts ; it boasts a force of 
400 volunteers, besides 200 bomberos, or firemen, 
all staunch in their loyalty ; and it has, besides, 
regular troops everyw^here quartered in the envi- 
rons. Every place in these districts, however in- 
significant, is thus virtually an encampment. At 
Santiago, where is the chief command of the east- 
ern department, life and property are somewhat 
safer ; yet the beautiful coffee plantations estab- 
lished there and at Guantanamo by French fugi- 
tives from the negro insurrection of Hayti at the 
close of the last century have in a great measure 
disappeared ; and what cultivation still survives 
depends for safety on the immediate protection of 
the troops — a protection precarious at the best of 
times, and in return for which the wants of the 
soldiers have to be supplied and their comforts 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 287 

attended to ; for it is only by cheerfully submitting 
to be plundered by friends that the proprietor 
may hope to escape being pillaged by enemies. 
And even when no immediate danger arises from 
the approach of the insurgents, the military au- 
thorities compel the planter either to maintain a 
large garrison at his own cost for his defense — the 
ordinary number is sixty men, volunteers or reg- 
ulars — or else to remove all his movable prop- 
erty ; to gut and unroof his house, lest it should 
afford shelter and become a stronghold to the 
rebels. 

Ruined To^wns. 

*'The prosperity of which Havana and the 
Western Department of the island show such 
splendid symptoms, contrasts very sadly with the 
distress and misery which meet the traveler as 
he proceeds eastward. You see young towns 
like Cienfuegos, Manzanillo, Sagua and others, 
which only ten years ago were rising in import- 
ance and were laying out promenades, building 
theatres, concert halls, and casinos, and so 
ministering to the only luxuries of Spanish life, 
suddenly stunted in their growth and, as it were, 
death-stricken. The population of Santiago has 
indeed increased, but merely by becoming the 
refuge of the land-owners and of the rural popu- 
lation whom the Civil War has driven from their 
homes. At this rate, homestead after home- 



288 CUBA. 

Stead, district after district, and eventually a large 
portion of the island will be dying off surely and 
not slowly ; and already the United States, the 
Spanish Republics of Central America and the 
British colonies swarm with Cuban fugitives. 
There is a ' Little Cuba ' in Jamaica. From 
1,500 to 2,000 exiles have sought a shelter, and 
many of them have made themselves at home 
there. Some have brought capital, with what- 
ever they were able to scrape together out of the 
wreck of their fortunes. They have purchased 
land — one of them an estate worth ^7,000, and 
have become naturalized British subjects, although 
the law in Jamaica allows aliens to possess real 
estate. They are now pursuing their former 
vocations as sugar, tobacco and coffee planters 
with a success which not only bids fair to retrieve 
their losses, but which has even the effect of stir- 
ring the somewhat dormant energies of the 
British Creoles in Jamaica, and thereby contri- 
buting to the general improvement of that 
unfortunate island, of which cheering symptoms 
have been apparent for the last seven or eight 
years. It is not without great astonishment that 
these new Cuban settlers become familiar with 
some of the peculiarities of English law in their 
new home. One of them was lately involved in 
a law-suit about the title deeds of an estate he 
had purchased, against no less a person than the 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 289 

Queen of England, as owner of the Crown 
domains in her good island of Jamaica. The 
Cuban, with great misgiving, brought his action 
into Court at the earnest suggestion of his 
lawyer. The case was tried, and the Cuban — 
won the suit ! Think of the Government ever 
allowing itself to be beaten by a private subject, 
and he an alien, in Spain or in her colonies! 
I^ittle Figrliting-, Mucb Destruction. 
" It is painful to think what a mere ' ha'p'orth ' 
of fighting goes to all this ' intolerable deal ' of 
ravage and destruction. I traveled from Santiago 
to San Luis, a distance of thirty-two kilometres, 
by rail. The line is cut through a deep gorge of 
the Sierra Maestra, and is flanked all along by 
little wooden towers, mere huts guarded by de- 
tachments of regular Spanish troops, each little 
garrison from five to fifty men strong. All along 
the railway line, and beyond it, all the way to 
Puerto Principe, the headquarters of the Central 
Department, and to Havana, there are telegraph 
wires which run across the island throughout the 
whole insurgent district. These wires are also 
under the protection of detached military posts ; 
and so utterly in^pable or powerless are the 
insurgent chiefs, Cespedes, Agramonte, the broth- 
ers Garcia, Modesto Diaz, Maximo Gomez, and 
the rest that any interruption, either to railway 
trains or telegraphic messages, is an extremely 



290 CUBA. 

rare occurrence. The insurgents, if we are to 
believe the military authorities here, do not muster 
more than 3,000 effective combatants. But by the 
estimate of impartial men their number is estimated 
at 8,000, most of them well armed. Can it be con- 
ceived that so strong a force, divided into almost 
ubiquitous bands, and favored by high mountains 
and dense forests, should find it so difficult either 
to stop the railway traffic or to prevent telegraphic 
intercourse ? A few mounted men with half the 
spirit of the Prussian Uhlans, or a picked band with 
some of the dash and determination of Garibaldi's 
' thousand,' would long ago have burned half the 
towers of the Spanish soldiers and overpowered 
their feeble garrisons ; they would have beaten up 
the quarters of the volunteers of the town by 
a coup de mam ; at all events they would have dis- 
tinguished themselves by exploits more heroic than 
the mere attack on some lonely plantation and the 
plunder of its contents. To fight, however, even 
with the odds on their side, to take the initiative 
against the troops, or even to await their attacks, 
seems not, at least for the present, to enter into 
the plans of the insurgents. On the other hand 
the troops, whenever they come to any knowledge 
of the position of the insurgents, have to plunge 
in single file into the thick of pathless forests ; 
they grope up blindly till warned by a few random 
shots of the presence of the insurgents, and they 



**^,^:--Q.iiB 




FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 293 

fire wildly into the bush without aim, till the 
silence of the enemy's fire assures them that the 
rebels have decamped, when they take possession 
of the abandoned field, sing out 'Victory,' and 
bring back a mule or a couple of naked negro 
children as spoils and trophies. 

Tactics of tlie T-wo Armies. 
" The real truth is that both parties are, from 
difTerent reasons, interested in avoiding encoun- 
ters and prolonging the strife. The Cubans are 
confident that time is fighting their battles. They 
think, not without reason, that they must In the 
long run tire out, dishearten and demoralize the 
troops at present arrayed against them ; and they 
rely on the Incessant and Incurable disorders of 
Spain for a gradual diminution and final cessation 
of yearly reinforcements. Already this year, they 
say, not more than 2000 men, and of these many 
worthless adventurers, have been landed at Nue- 
vitas. The republic has hardly troops enough to 
confront the Carlists in Navarre and the Alphon- 
sists in Catalonia ; hardly troops enough to hold 
its own in Madrid, even supposing that those 
troops are bent on supporting It. For months, or 
perhaps years, anarchical Spain can hardly be- 
stow a serious thought upon Cuba ; and the com- 
manding officers here, seeing themselves aban- 
doned to their own scanty resources, are only 
anxious to give up the game and resign their 



294 CUBA. 

office. General Morales, who was in command of 
the Eastern Department while I was in Santiago, 
left that city for Havana and Spain early in 
March, and Cevallor, who was Captain-General 
and Governor of the whole island, followed a few 
weeks later. Even those who are not eagerly 
soliciting their recall have neither the means nor 
the mind for extensive operations, and limit their 
efforts to that objectless desultory warfare which 
has hitherto led, and which can lead to no other 
result than to perpetuate the struggle. Owing 
either to false view of economy in the payment 
of spies or to the disaffection of the people, the 
Spanish officers are absolutely in the dark as to 
the movements of their adversaries ; while the 
insurgents, sure of the sympathy of the Creoles 
in town and country, keep up a regular inter- 
course with every part of the island. They have 
secret committees at work for them here at San- 
tiago, at Manzanillo, at Puerto Principe, and 
everywhere else ; and through them communi- 
cate with Key West, in Florida, with Jamaica and 
with any point from which arms, ammunition, 
provisions and fresh auxiliaries may be sent to 
them. I have alluded to the beauty of the coast 
of Cuba and of the inlets with which it is indented ; 
but all along both north and south there are laby- 
rinths of what are here called cayos, coral reefs 
and banks covered with bright verdure, still and 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 295 

solitary, through which smugglers of every de- 
scription can thread their way with perfect impu- 
nity, dodging the coastguards from islet to islet, 
and choosing their own time and spot to land their 
cargo. The Spanish cruisers might as well hope 
to scoop out the Gulf of Mexico with a teaspoon 
as to put any check upon the Cuban contraband 

of war. 

Xlie Spaniards Half- Hearted. 

" But in reality both the land and sea forces 
of Spain are only half-hearted in the work ; the 
soldiers especially are so ill paid, so ill-fed and 
exposed to such sufferings from the climate that 
desertions to the enemy are becoming of frequent 
occurrence, even among the non-commissioned 
officers, some of whom are to be heard of now 
among the most skillful and adventurous insur- 
gent leaders. For their own part, the Spanish 
commanding officers, anxious to fill vacancies in 
the ranks, enlist adventurers of every description, 
and even the despised Chinese coolies are 
occasionally to be seen clad in Spanish uniforms ; 
but in the ranks immediately below the supreme 
commanders there are men, as I have said, to 
whom the war insures comparatively easy work 
with exceptionally speedy promotion ; these find 
their advantage in the indefinite prolongation of 
hostilities and have means to prolong them at 
their own discretion. Military men, like other 



296 CUBA. 

officials, have been for centuries, and still are, 
sent to this unfortunate colony only to make 
money ; and as they hate both the land and the 
people, and are over-anxious to accomplish their 
object and be off, they go to work with a bold- 
ness and recklessness that know no limits, 
and which have thoroughly vitiated every rank of 
the rulers, as well as every class of the subjects. 
''Robamos todos " — we are all thieves — is the 
motto. 

Slaus:liter in tlie **FiTe To^wns." 

'' In the region of the Five Towns the Span- 
iards went to work upon the principle that 'pre- 
vention is better than cure.' They took the 
disaffection for granted and determined that it 
should never ripen into open rebellion. Not only 
did they shoot all the insurgents whom they 
caught with arms in their hands, but they slew 
without mercy many of the unarmed fugitives 
whom terror of their approach had driven into 
the woods, and they doomed to the same fate 
others who had remained quietly at home, but 
who were suspected of sympathy with the rebel 
cause. One of the first men who fell into their 
hands was my Creole host ; the gentleman, who 
as I said, had incurred their displeasure by pre- 
suming to employ none but free laborers in his 
plantations ; the Volunteers of the petty towns in 
the neighborhood invaded and ravaged his es- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 297 

tate and denounced him to the soldiers, who 
arrested him, shot two of his foremen and several 
inoffensive countrymen before his eyes in cold 
blood and without even the pretence of a trial, 
kept him in a condemned cell for three days, 
threatening him with the same fate, the officer in 
command meeting all his protests and remon- 
strances with the cool remark, * All I know is 
that if I shoot you I shall be promoted a step.' 
The prisoner slipped through his hands, never- 
theless, and upon clearing himself of all imputa- 
tions before the Captain-General at Havana, 
he was reassured as to his personal safety ; but 
the General at the same time advised him, ' as a 
friend,' to say nothing about damages for his 
destroyed property, as, ' under the circumstances, 
he ought to be only too thankful to have escaped 
with his life.' 

"It could not, of course, be expected that 
the insurgents on their own side should abstain 
from fearful reprisals. The practice with them 
when a prisoner, and especially an officer, falls 
into their hands, is to tie his feet up to a tree, and 
to pile up fuel under the dangling head ; thus 
burning their enemy alive with a slow fire. 
Indeed, it would not be easy to ascertain on 
which side the atrocities first began, or are carried 
to greater lengths. The rule is that all prisoners 
be shot without discrimination. Nay, the con- 
17 



298 CUBA. 

querors even grudge their powder and shot, and 
the victims are usually despatched with machetes, 
a kind of long chopping-knife or cutlass peculiar 
to a cane-growing country, and to be almost in- 
variably seen at the side of every combatant as 
well as in every laborer's hand. Some of the 
soldiers and Volunteers have acquired such skill 
in the use of this weapon that they cut off a man's 
head with all the mastery of a professional exe- 
cutioner. These men march in the rear of their 
detachments ; and upon any suspected person 
being apprehended, the officer in command, after 
a brief examination, orders the prisoner ' to the 
rear/ where he is immediately hacked to pieces 
by the inexorable Macheteros. As a rule also the 
bodies of the slain are left unburied on the spot 
where they fall. The turkey-buzzards swarming 
everywhere in the island, and whose life is pro- 
tected by law on account of their usefulness as 
public scavengers, fatten on the rotting human 
carcasses ; and it is not without a shudder that 
one sees these foul birds hovering everywhere in 
the air, and poising themselves on their wings 
above the forests where the remnants of their 
hideous feasts in every stage of decomposition 
still attract them. 

Outragfes Upon 'Women. 
Women fare as badly in the hands of the com- 
batants as men ; unless their personal attractions 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 299 

recommend them to a temporary reprieve and 
put off their execution till they have endured all 
conceivable outrages. Houses where scores of 
young women were hiding have been entered by 
a licentious soldiery with officers at their head, by 
whom every woman was first violated, then killed. 
The Havana and Madrid authorities have before 
them evidence of some of the most shocking cases 
of this description in which the crime was both 
proved and punished ; but how many more might 
be mentioned, in which it was impossible to bring 
the offenders to justice ! There have been fre- 
quent instances of wives whose husbands were 
either killed before their very eyes or driven to 
the bush in sheer despair, and who presently 
made friends with the officer who had widowed 
them, consenting to live with them on any terms. 
Of this fact I was equally assured by my Creole 
host and by the Spanish officer who sat with us 
at the same hospitable board ; with this difference, 
however, that the latter quoted it as evidence of 
the innate baseness and depravity of the Creole 
women, while the former contended that these 
women, in consenting to live with their captors, 
did so from a vindictive design to deal with them 
after the manner of Delilahs — a design which was 
often carried into execution, the women acting as 
spies on the movements of their new lovers and 
leading them into insurgent ambushes. People 



300 CUBA. 

living in the ' Five Towns ' grow very eloquent 
when they relate the exploits of a handsome girl 
whom they calP The Maid of Las Tunas.' This 
fair adventuress used to ride in arms, Amazon- 
like, as a scout to the insurgents, with all the zeal 
and intrepidity of Garibaldi's young Countess at 
Varese. She fell three times into the hands of 
the Spaniards, to whom she had become well 
known. Twice did her charms redeem her from 
the hands of the officers, but in the third instance 
she came into the power of a less susceptible 
warrior, who delivered her over to the brutality of 
his soldiers, after which he doomed her to the fate 
of Joan of Arc. 

Atrocities of Camp Follo^wers. 

"As happens in all wars, and especially civil 
wars, the combatants on either side are not al- 
ways answerable for the worst deeds perpetrated 
in their name. The disturbed districts are over- 
run by camp followers. Bandoleros, and marauders 
of the worst description, who, hoisting now one 
flag, now the other, really make war on their own 
account, and whose hand is against every man. 
These, when caught, are with great impartiality 
immediately shot by both parties ; but no readi- 
ness or activity of summary justice seems greatly 
to effect their number or to check their audacity. 
It is mainly on account of them that a ride from one 
to the other of the five towns, and especially from 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 3OI 

Villa Clara to Trinidad or San Juan de los Reme- 
dios, cannot be safely undertaken without an escort. 
To what extent war and its consequences have 
ravaged these districts may be inferred from the 
fact already mentioned, that the population of the 
Central Department, embracing a whole third of 
the island, is, according to the official statistics, 
reduced to 75,000 souls, whites and blacks in- 
cluded. Besides massacres, proscriptions and 
banishments, mere administrative stupidity con- 
tributed to turn the country into a desert. By a 
decree of Cabellero de Rodas, in July, 1869, the 
whole population of the rural districts was concen- 
trated — that is, huddled together — in the little town 
of St. Espiritu, with a view to having it under 
strict guard and control, where, owing to want of 
proper accommodation and wholesome food, and 
indeed of air to breathe, they were soon invaded 
by cholera, small pox and other deseases, to 
which, in some cases, one to ten, and in other 
cases, one to three, rapidly succumbed, the rav- 
age soon extending to the soldiers and volunteers 
set to watch over them. I have known families 
belonging to St. Espiritu who were on that occa- 
sion driven from the town by that awful mortality, 
and whom nothing in the world would now induce 
to go back to their homes, unable as they are to 
overcome the bare recollection of the sufferings 
they have witnessed. While the population thus 



302 CUBA. 

perished, the troops achieved a thorough devas- 
tation of the country, burning the crops, slaugh- 
tering the cattle, gutting the houses, hoping thus, 
as their commander said in his order of the day, 
'to starve out the rebellion.' 

'' By such means a great portion of the 
Central Department has been brought into sub- 
jection, and ' order ' reigns there. It is not 
impossible that the application of the same 
remedy may effect the cure of rebellion in the 
Eastern districts ; though it must be observed 
that the region of the Five Towns, from Matanzas 
to Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, and all along the 
southern coast, is almost a dead level, where a 
few sugar plantations are scattered like vast 
islands on a surface still encumbered with unfilled 
savannas and scrubby forests, or, as the natives 
call them Montes. But beyond Trinidad and 
throughout the territory of Puerto Principe and 
Santiago are real Montanas — hilly ridges covered 
with thick woods, where the insurgents may 
offer an obstinate resistance, and where, in the 
opinion of most men, the Civil War may be 
perpetuated. But even in the districts where 
every spark of the Insurrection has been trodden 
down, that hatred which prompted it is far from 
subsiding ; it smoulders, on the contrary, more 
sullenly than ever, and it finds vent in passionate 
outbursts and in strong appeals to the stranger. 



CHAPTER XI. 



ARROGANT CONDUCT OF THE SPANISH TOWARD 

AMERICANS AND ENGLISH THE " VIRGINIUS " 

OUTRAGE SHOOTING FOUR CUBAN PATRIOTS 

AMERICAN CITIZENS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD 

WILD DEMONSTRATIONS OF JOY SURRENDER 

OF THE "VIRGINIUS" THE FORMAL TRANSFER 

HOW AN ENGLISH CAPTAIN PREVENTED ONE 

MASSACRE. 



m 



LL THROUGH the Ten Years' War the 
Spanish authorities acted in a particu- 
larly arrogant manner toward Ameri- 
cans and Englishmen, and indeed toward all 
foreigners who were suspected of sympathy with 
the insurgents. Ships were stopped by Spanish 
cruisers and searched in the most arbitrary 
fashion. If anything in the nature of arms or 
ammunition were found aboard it was confiscated, 
and the captain of the ship was lucky if he was 
not hanged at his own yard-arm. 

The ** Virgfinius'' Outragfe. 

These outrages culminated in the famous 

"Virginius" affair, which came very near to 

causing war between the United States and 

Spain. The " Virginius " was a small side-wheel 

(303) 



.-^04 CUBA. 

Steamer, flying the American flag, commanded 
by Capt. Frey, of New Orleans, an American 
citizen and a veteran of our civil war, and 
manned in part by American and British sailors. 
The " Virginlus " slipped in and out of Cuban har- 
bors with wonderful success, carrying arms and 
re-enforcements to the patriot army. 

At last, on October 31, 1873, she was cap- 
tured with all on board by the Spanish gunboat 
*' Tornado." She had 170 passengers and crew, 
who with the vessel and cargo were taken to 
Santiago de Cuba. The ''Tornado," which had 
been searching for the "Virginlus" since her 
attempted landing on the south coast of Cuba, 
came in sight of her at 2.30 p. m. on the 31st, 
and immediately gave chase. The filibuster put 
on all steam and made for Jamaica, hoping to 
find refuge in British waters. In her flight she 
threw overboard several horses, and used a 
portion of her cargo for fuel. But the ''Tornado " 
caught up with her at 10 p. m. near the Jamaica 
coast, and she surrendered with all on board, not 
one of whom escaped. 

Sltooting- Four Cuban Patriots. 

Among the prisoners were Bernabe Varona, 
alias Bembetta, Pedro Cespedes, Jesus del Sol, 
and Gen. Ryan. The tribunal at Santiago de 
Cuba, before which the prisoners were taken, 
condemned these four to death. Although 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 305 

instructions were sent from the Government at 
Madrid to await orders from the Home Govern- 
ment before inflicting penalties on the passengers 
or men of the " Virginius," the order was probably 
received too late to be respected. The four 
prisoners were shot at the place made famous by 
previous executions and in the usual manner, 
kneeling close to the slaughter-house wall. All 
marched to the spot with firmness. Bembetta 
and Ryan showed marked courage, although the 
former was slightly affected toward the last. The 
two others quite broke down before they were 
bandaged, but Ryan kept up to the last, never 
flinched a moment, and died without fear or regret. 
Bembetta and Ryan were killed at the first dis- 
charge. They were in irons when they were 
marched against the low, square structure of 
adobe. Fifteen feet above them the red tile roof 
projected. At their feet there was a ditch to 
catch raindrops. They were made to kneel, 
facing the wall. The wall above them was pitted 
deep with the bullets that flew over their heads. 
As they fell into the ditch the cavalry rode over 
the warm bodies, and military wagons crunched 
and slipped on the bodies. Negroes cut off the 
heads and carried them on spikes through the 
city, and the mutilated bodies were dumped into 
a pit of quicklime, and the entire affair was soon 
forgotten by its perpetrators. 



3o6 CUBA. 

American Citizens Murdered in Cold Blood. 

On November 7, the captain of the "Vir- 
ginius" and thirty-six of the crew were put to 
death in the same fashion, and on the next day 
twelve more of the Cuban volunteers on the 
vessel were shot. Franchi Alfaro, who was 
among the latter number, offered the Spanish 
authorities ^1,000,000 if they would spare his 
life. Captain Frey and thirty-six of his men 
were taken ashore on the morning of the 7th, 
and taken to the prison, to remain there until 
their execution, which was ordered for that after- 
noon. Capt. Frey, a noble-looking old man, 
fully a head taller than the rest of the crew, when 
he met his men on the wharf, previous to the 
march to the prison, saluted them all. The salute 
was returned with affection. At 4.45 p. m. they 
were publicly shot, despite the protest of all the 
competent foreign authorities. The marines were 
seven minutes killing the wretched prisoners. It 
seemed as though they would never finish. At 
last the sailors marched off*, and the troops filed 
past the long row of corpses. Then the dead 
carts were hurried up and loaded indiscriminately 
with the mangled remains. The American Con- 
sul did all that could have been done to prevent 
the massacre. Indeed it was threatened that his 
exequatur would be withdrawn for his exertions 
in behalf of the prisoners. In an interview with 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 307 

Gen. Burriel, that officer yelled at him and other- 
wise treated him disrespectfully. The British 
Consul also made an ineffectual protest against 
the execution. Sixteen of the victims were 
British subjects. 

Of the crew who were not killed by the Span- 
iards at Santiago de Cuba, four were condemned 
to the chain-gang for life, three to eight years' 
imprisonment, eight to four years' imprisonment, 
and three were set at liberty. 

VITild Demonstrations of Joy. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the tidings of the 
execution of Gen. Varona, Pedro Cespedes, Jesus 
del Sol and Gen. Ryan reached Havana, and the 
inhabitants immediately relinquished all business 
pursuits and gave themselves up to the wildest 
demonstrations of joy. Bonfires were kindled, 
public and private buildings were illuminated, the 
larger streets were festooned with Chinese lan- 
terns and even the less important localities were 
not exempt from the manifestations of joy. 
Later in the evening the whole population 
seemed to pour out into the streets and the 
volunteers paraded through the city. Torchlight 
processions were numerous, and bands of music 
Inspired new enthusiasm in the breasts of the 
Impulsive Spaniards. The project of raising 
subscriptions and presenting some testimonial to 
the officers of the ''Tornado," to whom the cap- 



308 CUBA. 

ture of the "Virginius" was due, met with gen- 
eral approval, and these officers were regarded 
with universal gratitude. On the following 
morning (Thursday, Nov. 6) the general hilarity 
was renewed, and toward evening another grand 
demonstration took place. The palace of the 
Governor was brilliantly illuminated, the public 
buildings and private residences were extensively 
decorated, and flags and banners waved above 
the volunteers, who paraded the streets in full 
force. The Captain-General and General of the 
Marine were the recipients of unusual honors, 
and the serenades which they received were par- 
ticipated in by hundreds. The city was again 
given over to general rejoicing, and grand ban- 
quets were held in many sections of the city. At 
that time the enthusiasm was at its height. The 
outburst of joy occasioned by the reception of 
the strange tidings was naturally followed by a 
reaction, and in the few succeeding days the city 
gradually regained its former composure. The 
Cuban revolutionists in the city could of course 
only look on in terror at the demonstrations 
above described. Many concealed themselves as 
well as they could, and none dared to express 
their opinions in public. 

The North American continent thrilled with 
indignation in view of this outrage. The press 
voiced the demand of the people for apology, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 309 

indemnity, revenge, and the recognition of the 
Cubans, unorganized as they were, as belHgerents. 
The government seemed to share the popular 
feeling to a considerable degree. War between 
Spain and the United States seemed to be immi- 
nent and unavoidable. 

Our poor little navy, consisting of wooden 
vessels of antiquated models and of iron-clads 
dusty from disuse, was patched up as quickly as 
possible and ordered to rendezvous at Key West, 
whence It might descend upon Cuba in a night. 

But a half bluff is worse than no bluff at all. 
It was soon apparent that the government at 
Washington did not mean business any further 
than requiring the surrender of the " Virglnius," 
and of the surviving members of her crew, and 
an indemnity, trivial in amount, for the blood of 
those American citizens whose nationality could 
be proved beyond peradventure. The State 
Department did not share the belligerent disposi- 
tion of the Navy Department. Secretary Fish 
was able, patriotic and incorruptible, but some- 
how or other the legal representatives of the 
Spanish Government managed to block the way, 
and Spanish diplomacy, then as now, was plausi- 
ble and resourceful. 

Whatever the cause, the naval display at Key 
West was feeble and ineffective. Our flagship, 
at least, like the British flagship, should have 



3IO CUBA. 

gone to Havana. As a matter of fact, Admiral 
Scott had to make an excuse and get express 
authority to send over a dispatch boat, and was 
dependent upon the newspaper correspondents, or 
one of them, for news of what was going on in 
his immediate front. 

Weeks of diplomatic negotiation and naval 
bluster ensued, and at last the Spanish Govern- 
ment agreed to surrender the '' Virginius " to the 
United States authorities, and to salute the 
American flag. How ungraciously this was done 
has been well told by Major Handy, the well 
known correspondent. 

Surrender of tlie ** Virgfinius," 

"The race between the correspondents for 
news was very hot. Every man as the repre- 
sentative of his newspaper was on his mettle and 
enterprise was at a premium. McGahan had the 
advantage of being ward-room guest on a man- 
of-war. Fox was paymaster's yeoman on the 
*Pinta,' the fastest boat in the navy. When we 
learned that the ' Virginius ' was to be surren- 
dered we all realized that that event would end 
the campaign. The point then was to be in at the 
death and to obtain the best if not the exclusive 
story of the ceremony and attendant circum- 
stances. The lips of the government officials 
were sealed as to the time and place appointed. 
In fact the programme was arranged at Washing- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 3 I I 

ton by the Secretary of State and the Spanish 
Minister and communicated confidentially to 
Admiral Scott. However, I managed to get at 
the secret, and, thus armed, 'stowed away' on 
the ' Despatch,' which was the vessel appointed to 
receive the surrender. Capt. Rogers commanded 
the ' Despatch,' but the receiving officer was Capt. 
Whiting. The fleet captain and the other officers 
of the detail were Lieut. Adolph Marix, Master 
George A. Calhoun and Assistant Engineer 
N. H. Lambdin. With them were thirty-nine 
sailor men from the ' Pawnee,' who were to man 
the surrendered vessel as a prize crew. All of 
these people except Capt. Whiting were ignorant 
of their instructions, not even knowing their des- 
tination, and the pilot taken aboard before leaving 
Key West had sealed orders. 

''We left Key West on Sunday night at to 
o'clock. We were in the open sea before I ven- 
tured to make my appearance on deck, present 
myself to the officers, declare myself a stowaway, 
and verify my information as to their mission. 
The next morning at lo^o'clock the blue hills of 
the Cuban coast rose above the horizon and the 
bow of the 'Despatch' was directed toward 
Bahia Honda, the obscure little port selected for 
the function. It was about noon when we passed 
an old fort called Murlllo, commanding the en- 
trance to the harbor. Speed was then slackened, 



312 CUBA. 

and the vessel crept cautiously along the narrow, 
but clearly marked channel which leads to the 
smooth water where the ' Virginius ' was sup- 
posed to be lying. 

"As soon as the 'Despatch' was sighted 
from shore, the Spanish flag, bearing the crown, 
notwithstanding the republic abolishing that 
monarchical emblem, was flung to the breeze. 
We discovered a black side-wheel steamship lying 
about a mile beyond the fort. It was the ' Vir- 
ginius.' No other craft, except two or three 
coasting steamers, or fishing smacks, was then 
visible, and it was not until we were about to 
come to anchor that we discerned a Spanish sloop- 
of-war lying close under the shore, about two and 
a haK miles away. 

"Very soon a boat from the Spanish man-of 
war came alongside of the ' Virginius,' and 
immediately the Stars and Stripes were raised by 
Spanish hands, and again floated over the vessel 
which carried Ryan and his unfortunate comrades 
to their death At the same moment we saw by 
the aid of field-glasses, another boat let down 
from the Spanish vessel. It proved to be the 
captain's gig, and brought to the ' Despatch' 
a naval officer in full uniform, who proved to be 
Senor de la Camera, of the Spanish sloop-of-war 
* Favorita.' He stepped briskly forward, and 
was met at the gangway by Capt. Rogers and 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 313 

Capt. Whiting. After an exchange of courteous 
salutations, Commander de la Camera remarked 
that he had received a copy of the protocol pro- 
viding for the surrender of the ' Virginius,' and 
that the surrender might now be considered to 
have taken place. Captain Whiting replied that 
under his instructions the following day was 
named for the surrender, and that he could not 
receive it until that time. Meanwhile he would 
thank the Spanish officer to continue in posses- 
sion. Nine o'clock on Tuesday morning was then 
agreed upon as the hour, and after informing the 
American officer that there was coal enough on 
board of the ' Virginius ' to last six days, salutes 
were exchanged and the Spanish officer retired. 

''The next morning, half an hour ahead of 
time, the gig of the 'Favorita' came over to the 
' Virginius.' It contained oarsmen and a single 
officer. As the latter stepped on deck a petty 
officer and a half dozen men, who had stood 
watch on the ' Virginius ' during the night, went 
over the side and remained in a dingy awaiting 
orders. At 9 precisely by the bells the American 
flag again flew to the flagstaff of the 'Virginius,' 
and at the same moment a boat containing Capt. 
Whiting and Lieut. Marix put away from the 
'Despatch.' As they ascended the accommoda- 
tion ladder of the ' Virginius ' the single man on 
deck, who proved to be Senor de la Camera, 

18 



314 CUBA. 

advanced and made a courteous salute. The offi- 
cers then read their respective instructions, and 
Capt. de la Camera remarked that in obedience 
to the requirements of the government and in 
execution of the provisions of the protocol, he 
had the honor to turn over the steamer ' Virgin- 
ius ' to the American authorities. Capt. Whiting 
accepted, and learning that a receipt was required, 
gave one in due form. A word or two more 
were spoken and the Spaniard stepped over the 
side, signalled to his oarsmen, and in ten minutes 
was again upon the deck of his own vessel. Be- 
side the surrendering and receipting officers, I 
was the only witness of the ceremony. 
Xlie Formal Transfer. 
''While the Spanish officer was courtesy 
itself, we were all impressed with the fact that 
the ceremony was lacking in dignity and that the 
Spaniards had purposely made that lack as con- 
spicuous as they dared. It appeared that the 
* Virginius ' was towed to Havana by the first- 
class man-of-war ' Isabella la Catholica,' the 
commander of which retired immediately and 
left the surrender to be made by the commander 
of the ' Favorita,' which had been in the vicinity of 
Bahia Honda for several months engaged in sur- 
veying duty. The surrender should have taken 
place either at Santiago de Cuba or at Havana, 
and a Spanish officer of like rank with Cap- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 315 

tain Whiting should have discharged the duty. 
A quick survey by our officers showed the 
'Virginius' to be in a most filthy condition. She 
was stripped of almost everything moveable save 
a few vermin, which haunted the mattresses and 
cushions in cabin and staterooms, and half a dozen 
casks of water. The decks were caked with dirt, 
and nuisances recently committed, combined with 
mold and decomposition, caused a foul stench in 
the forecastle and below the hatches. In the 
cabin, however, the odor of carbolic acid gave 
evidence that an attempt had been made to make 
that part of the vessel habitable for the temporary 
custodians of the ship. Our officers were reluc- 
tant to put the men into the dirty forecastle and 
stowed them away into hardly more agreeable 
quarters afforded by the staterooms of Ryan and 
his butchered companions. Some attempt seemed 
to have been made, as shown by the engineering 
survey, to repair the machinery, but a few hours' 
work put the engines in workable order. The 
ship was leaking considerably and the pumps had 
to be kept going constantly to keep the water 
down. After a few hours of hard work we got 
under way, but had only gone 200 yards when 
the engine suddenly refused to do duty, and it 
became necessary for the 'Despatch' to take us in 
tow. As we passed the fort at the entrance to 
the harbor the Spanish flag was rather defiantly 



3l6 CUBA. 

displayed by that antiquated apology for a forti- 
fication, and there was no salute for the American 
flag, either from the fort or the surrendering 
sloop of war. 

''We had a hard time that night — those of 
us who were aboard the 'Virginius.' It seemed 
hardly possible that we could keep afloat until 
morning. During the night the navy tug 'Fortune,' 
from Key West, met us and remained with the 
convoy. At noon the next day, when we were 
about thirty miles south-southeast of Dry Tor- 
tugas, the vessels separated, the 'Virginius' and 
'Despatch' going to Tortugas and the 'Fortune' 
returning, with me as a solitary passenger, to Key 
West, whence I had the honor of reporting the 
news to the Admiral and of sending an exclusive 
report of the surrender. 

"It was the general opinion among the naval 
officers that the ' Sania ' had endeavored to be- 
little the whole proceeding by smuggling the 
' Virginius ' out of Havana, by selecting an ob- 
scure harbor not a port of entry as the place of 
surrender and by turning the duty of surrender 
over to a surveying sloop, while the 'Tornado,' 
which made the capture, lay in the harbor of Ha- 
vana and the ' Isabella la Catholica,' which had 
been selected as convoy, steamed back to Havana 
under cover of the night. The American officers 
and American residents in Cuba and Key West 




c^- 



General D. Valeriana Weyler, 
Captain-General and Spanish Commander-in- Chief in Cuba. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 319 

agreed that our government ought to have re- 
quired that the ' Virginius ' should be surrend- 
ered with all the released prisoners on board 
either at Santiago de Cuba, where the 'Tornado' 
brought in her ill-gotten prey and where the in- 
human butcheries were committed, or in Havana 
where she was afterward taken in triumph and 
greeted with the cheers of the excited Spaniards 
over the humiliation of the Americans. 

" An attempt was made to take the 'Virgin- 
ius ' to some northern port, but the old hulk was 
not equal to the journey. On the way no pump- 
ing or caulking could stop her leaks, and she 
foundered in mid-ocean. The government had 
been puzzled to know what disposition to make 
of her, and there was great relief in official circles 
to know that she was out of the way. 

"The surrender of the surviving prisoners 
of the massacre took place in course of time at 
Santiago, owing more to British insistence than 
to our feeble representations. As to the fifty- 
three who were killed, Spain never gave us any 
real satisfaction. For a long time the Madrid 
government unblushingly denied that there had 
been any killing, and when forced to acknowledge 
the fact they put us off with preposterous excuses. 
' Butcher Burriel,' by whose orders the outrage 
was perpetrated, was considered at Madrid to 
have been justified by circumstances. It was 



320 CUBA. 

pretended that orders to suspend the execution 
of Ryan and his associates were * unfortunately' 
received too late, owing to interruption of tele- 
graph lines by the insurgents to whose broad and 
bleeding shoulders an attempt was thus made to 
shift the responsibility. There was a nominal 
repudiation of Burriel's act and a promise was 
made to inflict punishment upon ' those who have 
offended ;' but no punishment was inflicted upon 
anybody. The Spanish Government, with 
characteristic double dealing resorted to pro- 
crastination, prevarication and trickery, and thus 
gained time until new issues effaced in the 
American mind the memory of old wrongs 
unavenged. Instead of being degraded Burriel 
was promoted. Never to this day has there been 
any adequate atonement by Spain." 

Mo^w an Hngflisli Captain Presented 
One Massacre. 

There is no doubt that all the rest of the 
<' Virginius' " prisoners would have been butch- 
ered, had it not been for the prompt and decisive 
conduct of a British naval officer. This was Sir 
Lambton Lorraine, commander of the man-of- 
war " Niobe." As soon as he heard of the cap- 
ture of the *' Virginius " he hastened with his ship 
to Santiago. He found that fifty-three men had 
already been put to death, and that the rest were 
in danger of a like fate. Immediately he had an 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 32 I 

interview with the Spanish commander and told 
him the butchery must stop. 

*' But, Senor," protested the Spaniard, ''what 
affair is it of yours ? There are no countrymen 
of yours among them. They are all dogs of 
Americans." 

That was a lie. There were Englishmen 
among them, though Sir Lambton Lorraine did 
not know it. But that made no difference to the 
gallant British captain. 

'' I don't know whether there are any English- 
men among them or not," he said, "and I don't 
care. I forbid you to put another one of them 
to death." 

"But, Senor," returned the Spaniard, "permit 
me to observe that I take my orders from the 
Captain-General, and not from you." 

"Very good," replied the Britisher; "permit 
me also to observe, and to beg you to observe, 
that the 'Niobe' is lying in this harbor, with her 
guns double-shotted, and I am her commander. 
And, so help me God ! if you so much as harm 
a hair on the head of one of those prisoners, I 
will lay your town in ruins ! " 

That was his ultimatum, and he went back to 
his ship. The Spaniard looked at the "Niobe," 
and saw the big black muzzles of her guns 
trained squarely upon the city, and — there were 
no more prisoners massacred in Santiago. 



CHAPTER XII. 



CLOSE OF THE TEN-YEARS' WAR GENERAL CAMPOS' 

OWN STORY COMMUNICATION WITH THE IN- 
SURGENTS REBEL DISSENSIONS SUSPENDING 

WARFARE PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE COMING 

TO THE POINT CAMPOS' MOTIVES INTERVIEW 

WITH GARCIA AN ANXIOUS MOMENT AT ZAN- 

JON THE TERMS ACCEPTED THE END AT 

LAST A REVIEW OF THE SITUATION WHAT 

THE WAR MEANT HOW THE END WAS REACHED 

CAMPOS' APPEAL FOR JUSTICE — THE COST OF 
THE WAR. 



(f' 



EN years of fighting practically exhausted 
the Cubans. When General Martinez 
de Campos, a humane and merciful 
man and a man of integrity and honor, came to 
them with offers of peace, amnesty and reform, 
they attentively listened to and finally decided to 
accept his terms. A treaty was signed, by which 
certain liberties were granted by Spain to the 
Cubans, reforms in their administration prom- 
ised, and the freedom recognized of all the slaves 
who had fought in the Cuban army. This treaty 
was concluded by General Campos himself after 
considerable negotiations, and was undoubtedly 
effected because of the faith the Cubans had 

(322) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 323 

in that officer and their behef that his prom- 
ises would be fulfilled. General Campos' own 
account of the manner in which the negotiations 
were conducted and brought to a successful ter- 
mination may be found in the official report which 
he made to the King of Spain, from which the 
following passages are taken : 

Oenerai Campos' O-wn Story, 

''Finding myself on the i8th of December 
in the Sierra Maestra of Cuba, inspecting the 
encampments there, which have been so fatal to 
the fourth brigade of that division, on account of 
its hygienic conditions, I received a telegram from 
General D. Manuel Cassola, in which he informed 
me that the prisoner D. Esteban Duque de 
Estrada, some time ago liberated, had manifested 
to him the desire of some important leaders, and 
some members of the congress, to enter into 
negotiations with a view to peace. 

''Although at some distance from Cuba, I 
embarked that very night for Santa Cruz in order 
to speak with Estrada, to communicate with Cas- 
sola, to decide on the spot and for myself what 
would be proper. 

"I have reported the doings of Mr. Pope in 
the month of May, the distrust with which he 
inspired me, and my persuasion that he was an 
unprincipled adventurer. In spite of this I per- 
mitted him to go to the enemy's camp, because I 



324 CUBA. 

was confident that with all his untrustworthiness, 
he would serve to open for us a way to relations 
which, if leading to nothing immediately, would 
bear fruit later. I was not mistaken in my reckon- 
ing ; those unofficial relations procured us the 
surrender of Don Estiban de Varona, with the 
permission, as he told me, of the then president, 
D. Tomas Estrada and the capture of the iatter's 
kinsman, Duque de Estrada. 

Communicatiiig' ^with ttie Insurgfents. 

*' The moment Varona reached Manzanillo he 
put himself in communication with the leaders of 
those bands discouraged by fatigue, and at times 
by hunger, without resources, and who, desiring 
peace, did not dare to surrender, not only through 
fear of the treatment they might receive from us, 
but through distrust of each other. A few inter- 
views and an armistice, which in a narrow neutral 
ground permitted our soldiers to mix with the in- 
surgents, and the discovery by the latter in our 
troops not only the generous character of the 
Spanish army, but also how well the country peo- 
ple were treated in the towns, at last broke their 
resolution, and the desire of peace made itself so 
manifest that the leaders agreed to send a com- 
mittee to their government to try for it. 

''This committee obtained some guarantees 
from the president, but the irreconcilables were 
too strong for the government, and the committee 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 325 

were subjected to the law which imposed the 
penalty of death on all who should treat with us 
except on the basis of independence. 

"In spite of the assurances which Varona 
gave me, I cherished no hope of result with 
Camuguey, that I believed that it was not yet 
time, that his presumption was not sufficiently 
humbled, but that I was confident that the greater 
part of the guerrilla parties of Manzanillo, and 
perhaps of Bayamo, would disband. 
Rebel Dissensions. 

"In spite of the obstacles which arose in the 
business, the result answered my expectations, 
though I will not conceal that the government of 
the insurgents, by its treatment of the committee, 
contributed not a little to deepen the dissensions 
that existed among them. But that act of brute 
violence met with a prompt chastisement in the 
capture of the president of the executive council, 
and the death of the speaker of the congress, 
which delayed more than forty days a meeting for 
the choice of a new one, and the very active pur- 
suit to which they were exposed, in spite of the 
rains which lasted longer than usual. The idea 
of peace introduced into their camp, which 
they had the baseness to attribute to me, 
though they asserted that I proposed it through 
weakness, began to take root among the masses, 
and the impulse from below upward reached the 



26 CUBA. 



head, a natural result of assertions disproved by 
our pursuit. 

"This was the state of things when, on the 
2 1 St of December, I talked with Duque de 
Estrada, and not trusting in the method, although 
I had no private or official letter to authorize my 
conduct, and even feared that another assassina- 
tion would make the negotiations abortive, I 
ordered operations to be suspended between the 
sea, the river Sevilla, and the roads from Santa 
Cruz to Hato Petrero, and from that point to 
Brazo ; that is a seventh part of the Center. 
This was a serious measure. I was conscious of 
the objections to it; nothing positive authorized 
me to give assurances that this neutrality would 
be respected. I knew that it would give an 
opportunity for attacks (on me) by many ; but if 
I wished to arrive at an understanding it was 
necessary to run the risk ; and I believe that, 
holding such a position and command as mine, it 
behooves not to consider the personal annoyances 
which may result from failure, but the benefit 
which may redound to our country from success. 
The loss would be all my own ; all the advantage 
my country's. 

Suspending: "Warfare. 

*' Concert and meeting and consequently 
agreement were impossible if our troops contin- 
ued operations. I fixed no period, but limited 




Maximo Gomez, the Chief of the Insurrection, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 329 

myself to declaring that the termination (of the 
armistice) should be announced three days be- 
forehand. I reserved to myself the right of 
lengthening or shortening it, because to keep 
fixing periods and then extending them is, in my 
opinion, discreditable and a kind of higgling un- 
worthy of soldiers. 

*' I will not deny that I then expected that at 
the end of a few days they would tell me that 
they wished to treat on inadmissible terms. I 
labored at that time under two mistakes : I be- 
lieved their number smaller and their presump- 
tion greater than it was. I had studied the pro 
and the con, as is commonly said. I was not 
neutralizing more than a small part of the war 
(three-hundredths), and it was accordingly prose- 
cuted with the greatest activity when the matter 
began to improve, and the soldiers to come out 
of the hospitals. In the neutralized territory the 
contract of the insurgents with our soldiers was 
most advantageous for us, because the meeting 
of the weak with the strong, of the hungry with 
him who has resources, of the naked with the 
clothed, of him who has no place of shelter, with 
him who has camps and sutlers' shops, cannot 
but weaken the resolution of the former. The 
courteous treatment which had been ordered was 
sure to underline the officers ; the news of the 
suspension of hostilities where the congress was, 



330 CUBA. 

and the negotiations with It, must have a decided 
influence in other departments. 

Progrress to-ward Peace. 

*' What was lost, In case these conferences 
were broken off? On the part of the country 
nothing, and this is proved by the great number 
of surrenders which took place at this time. 
Much was gained for the future by dividing them ; 
the three tendencies of the hostile camp, peace, 
autonomy and independence, defined themselves ; 
for in moments of danger the most opposite wishes 
unite, and if a respite is given, they reappear 
again in greater strength. 

*' So it happened here. In SanctI Spiritus 
some begged that the decision of the congress 
might be waited for, and I granted them a place 
of meeting, where I furnished them with supplies, 
and in that encampment cheers were given for 
peace and for Spain, and they embraced our 
officers. In Bayamo whole bands surrendered 
together ; in Holguin and in Tunas they avoided 
any fighting ; and in Cuba, Maceo made super- 
human efforts to raise their spirits, summoning all 
to the last soldier, and attacking with an energy 
and success worthy of a better cause ; but even 
in the midst of this desperate effort he did not 
wish to shut the door of the future, and, what he 
had not done for ten years, after a bloody advan- 
tage m which he kept possession of the field, he 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 33 1 

buries the dead, praises their valor, and sends 
back to us a few wounded, and prisoners who 
escaped the fury of the combat. 

"The desire to treat having been excited, 
and having told Estrada my own opinion concern- 
ing the island, and what I believed that of the 
government to be, judging by the private corres- 
pondence which was going on between me and the 
Minister of Ultramar, I went to Havana to in- 
form General Jovellar, to put myself in accord 
with him, and to hear his valuable counsels. That 
officer was, as he had been since the war began, 
in full agreement with me, and explained to me 
the embarrassed state of the treasury, the arrears 
of pay continually increasing, and the difficulties 
we should find ourselves in if the war was not 
ended before June. I made a tour of inspection 
through Las Villas and Sancti Spiritus, to see for 
myself the execution of my orders, and was satis- 
fied that nothing more could be asked of the 
army. Pancho Jimenez had attempted an effective 
stroke, but as he had not the means, the destruc- 
tion of part of his band, and the dispersion of 
the rest were the consequence. 

Coming- to tlie I*oiiit, 

*'I returned to Principe to bring matters to a 
head, and because I thought there had been time 
to come to an understanding and to pass from a 
purely confidential character to a semi-official one, 



332 CUBA. 

and having had an interview at Chorrillo with 
Messrs. Lauces and Roa, commissioned from the 
so-called commander-in-chief of the Centre, Goyo 
Benitez, to General Cassola, who by my orders 
had announced to him the renewal of hostilities 
on the 20th, I was able to satisfy myself of the 
well-nigh general desire to come to a definite 
result, and of the impossibility of it by reason of 
the dispersion of the bands, and above all because 
it was not yet known whether Vincente Garcia 
would accept the presidency, nor what his aspira- 
tions and projects were. Believing in their good 
faith, I appointed the loth of February as the 
day before which terms must be proposed, and 
permitted a commissioner to start for Sancti 
Spiritus and another in search of Vincente Gar- 
cia, but I reduced the neutralized territory to 
about eight leagues square on the banks of the 
Sevilla, setting a cordon of posts and sentinels all 
around it. 

''Infixing on the loth of February, I was 
thinking of the meeting of the Cortes on the 
15th, and wished to give definite news to the 
government of His Majesty, so that they could 
in the royal message parry the attacks of the op- 
position, and if they did not approve of my con- 
duct they could remove me Irom command, since 
I had neither consulted them nor given an account 
of the steps I had taken. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 333 

Campos' MotiTes. 

" The reasons I had for acting thus are 
three: Not to soHcit from the government an au- 
thorization which could not be understandingly 
given at so great a distance ; second, to assume 
all responsibility myself, leaving them in entire 
freedom ; and third, not to give rise in Spain to 
hopes that might prove illusions. 

" Some time before the first steps had been 
taken toward a conference between Vincente 
Garcia and General Prendergast, but since the 
former had been chosen president of the execu- 
tive council, he thought that he could not be pres- 
ent at it, and sent his commissioners to Banchuelo 
(Tunas), to which place the General came. There, 
after long debates, I being in direct communica- 
tion by telegraph, I answered all questions, and 
fixed as a limit the terms which I reported the 
same day, 30th of January, neutralizing the road 
between Tunas and the camp of the congress, so 
that messages and reports might pass, because we 
had unfortunately severely wounded their com- 
missioner, who bore my safe conduct, which pre- 
vented the order for meeting from reaching 
Vicente Garcia in time. 

Intervie^w ^witb Oarcia. 

" On the 5 th he asked for an interview with 
me, which could not take place on the 6th at San 
Fernando owing to a mistake ; and on the 7th he 
19 



334 CUBA. 

came to see me, with seven other leaders and 
some of his officers, at Chorrilla. He presented 
himself in a very proper way, and I received him 
kindly, Generals Prendergast and Cassola being 
present at the conversation, which lasted seven 
hours. Those who took part in it manifested 
their desire for peace ; they agreed that though 
they might prolong the war it would be the ruin 
of the country (Cuba) ; that in their present con- 
dition they could not conquer ; that the happiness 
of Cuba was possible under the government of 
Spain ; that the terms were not ample enough ; 
and, above all, that the path they had taken not 
to treat except on the basis of independence 
rendered all agreement null ; that there was no 
provision in their constitution for such a case, and 
it was necessary to appeal to the people. All 
our arguments were unable to convince them. 

'' Vincente Garcia told me that, in order to 
facilitate a prompt pacification, he had that day 
come and taken the oath of office. The result was 
that I answered them that I did not make the 
terms more liberal because they had already 
received the sanction of the government ; that I 
could not extend the period without receiving at 
least a moral guarantee that, in case those of the 
East and of Villas did not agree, the majority of 
Camaguey would accept ; and we parted with the 
greatest courtesy. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 335 

An Anxious Moment. 

*'I cannot express the anxiety in which I 
was left. My presumption was that they were to 
be trusted ; that the reserve they had shown was 
due to the character of the natives of this country, 
and to their want of confidence in Spain, which 
cannot easily be effaced ; at the same time recog- 
nizing as one cause the oath they had taken, and 
the desire not to be accused of treachery by their 
companions, who still stood to their arms. 

" But these were nothing more than my pre- 
sumptions ; nothing more than my knowledge of 
the unfortunate state in which they were. There 
was the conviction that hatred of Spain was 
rapidly disappearing ; there was the certainty that 
the favorable movement came from below up- 
wards with a terrible pressure ; but after all there 
was nothing but conviction and faith in myself; 
there was not a proof nor a material fact to con- 
firm these ; and when I entered on this line of 
thought doubt took possession of my mind. 

" The question was most serious. Should 
they persist in their choice of a new government 
by popular election, and I in not conceding a 
longer delay, then the pacification would be post- 
poned, the war continued with the fury of 
despair, and I become an accomplice in the 
failure of peace. If, in virtue of my convictions, 
I conceded what they asked, a change of ideas 



336 CUBA. 

might take place in the mass (of insurgents), and 
I should have lost a month and a half of opera- 
tions in the best season of the year, equivalent to 
more than three months in the rainy season, to 
3,000 soldiers killed, to J6,ooo,ooo more spent, 
and to another effort on the part of Spain. 
At ^anjon. 
" On the morning of the 9th I removed to 
Zanjon, the point nearest the enemy's camp, and 
at twelve next day Messrs. Rosa and Lauces 
presented themselves with a letter from Vincente 
Garcia accrediting them in their mission. These 
gentlemen stated to me that the executive and 
congress having met, had informed themselves of 
the result of the interview we had held on the 
7th, and after a long discussion had agreed on 
the impolicy of continuing the war, and on the im- 
possibility of treating in which they found them- 
selves, because they were not empowered to do 
so, and it would be illegal ; that they were bound 
to give an account of the whole to the people ; 
but that, considering the pressure of circum- 
stances, they would resign and appeal to the 
people and troops gathered there ; that this took 
place, and that a committee of seven persons (five 
of them irreconcilables) was chosen by popular 
election in order that negotiations might go on. 
The committee discussed and modified my terms, 
and submitted the result to the people, who 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 337 

accepted it unanimously under condition that the 
States of the East and Center should be heard. 
The people being asked if they were for peace, 
answered almost unanimously in the affirmative. 
Asked afterward if the war should be continued 
in case OrienteorVillars would not accept peace, 
three-quarters were in favor of peace even then, 
and the other fourth for war. 

''In view of this I went on to discuss the 
questions, and, there being no difficulty except 
about the first, I consulted General Jovellar by 
telegraph, in the presence of the commissioners, 
and had the satisfaction of letting them see the 
identity of opinion of the two authorities. There 
remained the question of time to be allowed, 
which I proposed to leave to the government of 
his Majesty, and they returned to their camp to 
submit the modifications. 

Tlie Terms Accepted. 

''While they were absent I reflected ma- 
turely, and resolved on my part to concede a 
delay until the end of the month. The consider- 
ations which moved me to this were my not wish- 
ing to compromise General Jovellar, because if, 
contrary to all appearances, there were a change, 
he would remain disposable to relieve me in com- 
mand if the government disapproved of my con- 
duct, or the opposition and public opinion pro- 
nounced against me in case of failure. I am not 



338 CUBA. 

considering as such the continuance in the field 
of Maceo, as I was then incHned to do, having 
heard of the capture of the convoy of Florida, 
with 12,000 percussion caps, a case of medicines, 
and some loads of tinned meat, with a loss to us 
of one officer and twenty-eight soldiers killed and 
five wounded, and of the defeat of a column of 
200 men of the regiments of Madrid and Asturias 
in Juan Mulato, with the loss, as was then be- 
lieved, of 100 men, though I know now it was 
not above fifty, and of the commander, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Cabezas. 

*'The commissioners returned in the after- 
noon of the loth with definite terms, which I ac- 
cepted, and a copy of which I enclose, and I at 
once granted the delay, and then to facilitate 
matters, without their asking it, I ordered the 
generals in command to suspend offensive hostili- 
ties in the whole territory of the war. 

"The insurgents desire peace so sincerely 
that the commissioners elected for each state are 
the most influential and intelligent persons in it : 
For Cuba, Major-General Maximo Gomez, Brig- 
adier-General Rafael Rodriquez, Major Enrique 
Callazo ; for Bayamo, Major Augustin Castel- 
lanos. Ensign Jose Badraque ; for Las Villas, the 
deputies Spoturno and Marcos Garcia, Colonel 
Enrique Mola and Don Ramon Perez Trujillo ; 
for Tunas and Holguin, Vincente Garcia. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 339 

''These elections are guarantees of good 
faith. Concerning Sancti Spiritus and Villas, with 
the exception of the thirty men of Cecilio Gon- 
zalez, I harbor no doubt, only an outlaw or two 
and the runaway negroes will be left in the field, 
isolated, without flag and without arms ; in 
Principe, possibly, a gathering or so of what are 
called planteados, who obey no one, and whom 
the very insurgents have almost exterminated. 
Xbe Hnd at l,ast. 

"In Bayamo the leaders who remain have 
given assurances that they will consult with the 
commissioners and are calling in their scattered 
followers. In Tunas and Holguin, Vincente Garcia 
has every kind of influence. In Cuba, Maceo 
respects only Maximo Gomez, and all aflirm that 
he will obey the dispositions of his government. 
I am not confident but he will be left reduced to 
the last extremity without the bands of Edwardo 
Marinol, Limbano Sanchez, Martinez Freire, and 
Leite Vidal, and only a part of the people of his 
brother Antonio Maceo, Guellermon, and Crom- 
bet will follow him. In any event parties of 
banditti will remain in those mountains. 

*'This is, in conclusion, a loose narrative of 
what has happened and of my present impressions 
and hopes. It only remains to set before you a 
sketch of the motives of my policy, and the reasons 
on which I have based my conduct in these sixteen 



340 CUBA. 

months. I have not always been right, but I have 
tried to correct my mistakes the moment I became 
aware of them. 

A R-evie^w of tlie Situation. 

*' Since the year 1869, when I landed on this 
island with the first reinforcements, I was preoc- 
cupied with the idea that the insurrection here, 
though acknowledging as its cause the hatred of 
Spain, yet that this hatred was due to the causes 
that have separated our colonies from the mother 
country, augmented in the present case by the 
promises made to the Antilles at different times 
(1812-37 and '45), promises which not only have 
not been fulfilled, but, as I understand, have not 
been permitted to be so by the Cortes when at 
different times their execution had been begun. 

"While the island had no great development, 
its aspirations were confined by love of nation- 
ality and respect for authority; but when one day 
after another passed without hopes being satisfied, 
but, on the contrary, the greater freedom per- 
mitted now and then by a governor were more 
than cancelled by his successor; when they were 
convinced that the colony went on in the same 
way; when bad officials and a worse administration 
of justice more and more aggravated difficulties; 
when the provincial governorships, continually 
growing worse, fell at last into the hands of men 
without training or education, petty tyrants who 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 34 1 

could practice their thefts and sometimes their 
oppressions, because of the distance at which they 
resided from the supreme authority, pubHc opinion, 
until then restrained, began vehemently to desire 
those liberties which, if they bring much good, 
contain also some evil, and especially when applied 
to countries that have so peculiar a life of their 
own, and are without preparation for them. A 
people sometimes vehemently desires what is not 
best for It — the unknown — and when everything 
is denied, aspires to everything. So it happened 
here. I do not blame the captains-general nor 
the government of that epoch. They thought 
they were acting for the best ; but they were sep- 
arated from the people, and had about them only 
partisans of the status quo, and very few of 
progress,^and even these, persons of heated imag- 
ination, but cautious, did not make manifest their 
ideas, and even applauded acts which were carry- 
ing the ship on the reef, like those inhabitants of 
England who kindled bonfires to attract ships. 
^What tlie ^War Meant. 
''The loth of October, 1868, came to open 
men's eyes ; the eruption of the volcano in which 
so many passions, so many hatreds, just and un- 
just, had been heaped up, was terrible, and almost 
at the outset the independence of Cuba was pro- 
claimed. The concessions which General Ler- 
sandi then made were of no avail ; the triumph 



342 CUBA. 

of Bayamo was not deadened by the heroic resis- 
tance of the garrisons of Tunas and Holguin ; 
the army was very small, and they believed vic- 
tory easy. Many Spaniards believed that auton- 
omy should be granted ; and who knows what 
might have followed if those masses had been 
well led, and had not quarreled with the natives 
of the Peninsula.'* 

"The certainty of triumph blinded them. 
In its turn public sentiment and patriotism were 
awakened in us, and the country was divided into 
two irreconcilable bands, extreme from the first, 
confiding the triumph of their cause to extermi- 
nation and the torch ; and although in these nine 
years there have been attempts at more humane 
systems, they have been of short duration. Pub- 
lic opinion was too strong for governments of 
whatever politics. Hardly was a governor-gen- 
eral appointed when they weakened his authority 
by allowing the press to speak of his dismissal ; 
and these officers, not feeling themselves sustained 
by the government, tried to find some support in 
a public opinion continually more and more over- 
excited, and there were times when the war was 
on the point of being victoriously ended, when a 
change of commander came to undo all that had 
been gained to make the insurgents understand 
that their constancy would save them ; and a seri- 
ous succession of feats of arms raised their spirits, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 343 

and by the advantage of ground and their familiar- 
ity with it, they defeated large columns with hardly 
a battalion of men. Hunger In the villages swelled 
the ranks of the enemy. They almost put us on 
the defensive, and as we had to guard an im- 
mense property, the mission of the army became 
very difficult. 

''The instability of governments in Spain, 
the cantonal war first, and the civil war afterward, 
encouraged our enemies, who began to doubt in 
proportion as the throne of Don Alfonso became 
firm, and when they found themselves shut up in 
villas and unable to carry out their project of 
extendinor the war to Matanzas and Cardenas. 

o 

But public spirit had decayed, and the invasion of 
Spiritus and Villas marked a fatal period. It was 
our fortune that the military man who commanded 
against them had not, because a foreigner and 
because of his character, in spite of his courage, 
the sympathy of his subordinates, and that the 
battle of Palma Sola subdued his energy. But 
the war went on languidly for want of forces, 
public sentiment growing weaker, and the army 
remembering too well its reverses. The principal 
of authority was strengthened, and I believe that, 
with more resources, we should have triumphed 
In 1875 and 1876. 

"The Insignificant affairs of the railway of 
Spiritus, the attack on Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila, 



344 CUBA. 

and Moron made a great impression on public 
opinion, which saw in everything, with frightful 
exaggeration, to be sure, grave and irremediable 
evils, and the unfortunate carelessness at Victoria 
de las Tunas came to stamp the position of affairs 
at the very time when reinforcements and help 
were expected from the mother country. General 
Jovellar was the victim of events, and when per- 
haps he was about to grasp the laurel of his toils 
the government decided that I should come. 

''These, roughly sketched, are in my concep- 
tion the facts from 1868 to the end of 1876. 
How tlie Hnd was Readied. 

" I have come now by slow stages to the 
question of the day, and perhaps some will ask 
how I offered the terms which I reported on the 
30th of January, and will add that better might 
have been obtained. 

"At present, I suppose so, but I understand 
by advantageous terms for the government what 
contributes to satisfy the desires and aspirations 
of the people ; I proposed the first condition, be- 
cause I believe they must fulfill it. I wish that 
the municipal law, the law of provincial assem- 
blies, and representation in the Cortes, should be 
established. For the present we will make use of 
the laws now in force, and then with the assistance 
of the deputies, modifications and arrangements 
can be made to complete them. Technical details 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 345 

will be considered which are beyond my com- 
petence. The law of labor is to be settled, the 
question of labor supply, the necessary changes 
of property are to be studied, the fearful and un- 
sustainable problem of slavery is to be studied 
before foreign nations impose a solution of it upon 
us, the penal code is to be studied and the pro- 
vince of the courts defined, the form of contribu- 
tions and assessment of taxes determined, and 
some attention paid to schools and public works. 
All these problems whose solution concerns the 
people must be solved after hearing their repre- 
sentatives, not by the reports of Juntas, chosen 
through favoritism or for political reasons. They 
cannot be left to the will of the captain-general, 
the head of a department, or the colonial minis- 
ter, who generally, however competent, does not 
know the country. 

Campos' Appeal for Justice. 

'' I do not wish to make a momentary peace. 
I desire that this peace be the beginning of a 
bond of common interests between Spain and her 
Cuban provinces, and that this bond be drawn 
continually closer by the identity of aspirations, 
and the good faith of both. 

"Let not the Cubans be considered as pa- 
riahs or minors, but put on an equality with other 
Spaniards in everything not inconsistent with 
their present condition. 



34^ CUBA. 

'' It was on the other hand impossible, accord- 
ing to my judgment and conscience, not to grant 
the first condition ; not to do it was to postpone 
indefinitely the fulfilment of a promise made in 
our present constitution. It was not possible that 
this island, richer, more populous, and more ad- 
vanced morally and materially than her sister, 
Porto Rico, should remain without the advantages 
and liberties long ago planted in the latter with 
good results, and the spirit of the age, and the 
decision of the country gradually to assimilate the 
colonies to the Peninsula, made it necessary to 
grant the promised reforms, which would have 
been already established and surely more amply 
if the abnormal state of things had not concen- 
trated all the attention of government on the 
extirpation of the evil which was devouring this 
rich province. 

''I did not make the last constitution ; I had 
no part in the discussion of it. It is now the 
law, and as such I respect it, and as such 
endeavor to apply it. But there was in it 
something conditional, which I think a danger, 
a motive of distrust, and I have wished that it 
might disappear. Nothing assures me that the 
present ministry will continue in power, and I 
do not know whether that which replaces it 
would believe the fit moment to have arrived 
for fulfilling the precept of the constitution. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 347 

** I desire the peace of Spain, and tnis will 
not be firm while there is war or disturbance 
in the richest jewel of her crown. Perhaps the 
insurgents would have accepted promises less 
liberal and more vague than those set forth in this 
condition ; but even had this been done, it would 
have been but a brief postponement, because 
those liberties are destined to come for the 
reasons already given, with the difference that 
Spain now shows herself generous and magnani- 
mous, satisfying just aspirations which she might 
deny, and a little later, probably very soon, would 
have been obliged to grant them, compelled by 
the force of ideas and of the age. 

" Moreover, she has promised over and over 
again to enter on the path of assimilation, and 
if the promise were more vague, even though 
the fulfillment of this promise were begun, 
these people would have the right to doubt 
our good faith and to show a distrust unfor- 
tunately warranted by the failings of human 
nature itself. 

''The not adding another 100,000 to the 
100,000 families that mourn their sons slain in 
this pitiless war, and the cry of peace that will re- 
sound in the hearts of the 80,000 mothers who 
have sons in Cuba, or liable to conscription, 
would be a full equivalent for the payment of a 
debt of justice." 



348 CUBA. 

Xlie Cost of tlie 'War. 

What the ten years of war cost the island 
and cost Spain can never be fully reckoned. In 
a debate on Cuban affairs in the Spanish Cortes 
in November, 1876, it was officially stated that in 
eight years Spain had sent to Cuba 145,000 sol- 
diers under the command of her ablest generals. 
The war is known to have cost Cuba more than 
45,000 lives. A considerable proportion of these 
were lost on the field of battle, but the majority 
of them were murdered in cold blood in prison. 
More than 13,000 estates belonging to Cubans 
were confiscated by the Spanish Government. 
Of these about 1000 belonged to women, whose 
only crime was that they sympathized with their 
struggling countrymen. The cost of the war in 
money has been estimated at nearly ^1,000,- 
000,000. 

During the entire war a professor of lan- 
guages in Havana, who was an American of 
Cuban birth, systematically kept a record of the 
Cuban losses reported in the authorized publica- 
tions in Havana. He made it in great detail, 
giving the place and date of each engagement, the 
number of men on each side, and the Cuban 
losses in killed, wounded, prisoners, and horses. 
At the end of the war his totals were as follows : 
Cuban losses, 395,856 killed, 726,490 wounded, 
451,100 prisoners, and a little more than 800,000 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 349 

horses killed or captured. Considering that the 
entire population of the island was only 1,250,000, 
the ability of the Spanish at lying was certainly 
extraordinary. According to their figures more 
Cubans were killed, wounded and captured 
than there were persons of all classes on the 
island. 

In curious contrast with this are the Spanish 
figures of their own losses. According to official 
records they lost 81,098 men, of whom only 6488 
died In battle or from wounds. In other words, 
according to their own statements, ninety-two per 
cent, of the Spanish losses were from fever, 
cholera and other diseases. There never was a 
time during the whole ten years when less than 
fourteen per cent, of the whole Spanish army was 
in hospitals. These Spanish figures, however, 
are known to be very much too low, though per- 
haps not as much too low as their statements of 
Cuban losses are too high. 




20 



CHAPTER XIII. 



RESENTMENT OP THE BETRAYED CUBANS TROUBLE 

WITH THE UNITED STATES THE CASE OF THE 

"MERRITT" OTHER OUTRAGES REDRESS DE- 
MANDED SPANISH TREACHERY BLUNDERING 

AS WELL AS PLUNDERING NO POPULAR 

LIBERTY CUBAN APPEALS FOR JUSTICE THE 

MOCKERY OF HOME RULE THE FINAL 

ARRAIGNMENT THE APPEAL TO ARMS. 



W 



HE CUBAN patriots soon found out 
that the Spanish Government had no 
intention of fulfilHng the promises 
made by General Campos. As soon as the 
patriot forces had laid down their arms and sur- 
rendered all the results of the war, Spanish tyranny 
was resumed in almost as odious a form as ever. 
The rage and resentment of the Cubans was 
well-nigh unbounded. They could not hope, how- 
ever, to renew the struggle in the field at that 
time. They therefore had recourse to political 
agitation. They formed what has since been 
known as the Autonomist party. The principles 
of this organization were that experience would 
not justify further attempts to regain freedom for 
Cuba by force of arms, and that the island's hope 

(350) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 35 I 

lay in peaceful measures. This party gained a 
footing very rapidly and soon embraced a con- 
siderable proportion of the most thoughtful and 
influential men on the island. 

Year after year they worked for political re- 
form and for the granting of home rule to Cuba. 
But year after year impressed upon them more 
clearly the fact that their efforts were in vain. 
They were cheated by their Spanish rulers in the 
elections. Their votes were not fairly counted. 
They were not allowed to send their chosen re- 
presentatives to the Cortes at Madrid. When 
they did succeed in sending representative men 
thither, the appeals to the Spanish Government 
for justice were in vain. 

Then there sprang up a strong sentiment in 
favor of annexation to the United States. Since 
slavery had been abolished in both countries, it 
was no longer in the way. The commercial 
relations between the two countries were closer 
than ever. Union seemed to be to the interest 
of both. Even some Spaniards joined this move- 
ment. They realized that Spain could not much 
longer retain her grip upon Cuba, and their pride 
made them prefer to see the island pass under 
the control of the United States rather that be- 
come independent. 

A considerable portion of the Cubans, 
however, still cherished a hope of winning freedom 



352 CUBA. 

by force of arms. From time to time small in- 
surrections occurred, and all the time the leaders 
of the war party were busy with plans and con- 
spiracies, in the United States and elsewhere. 
Matters were finally brought to a crisis in the 
winter of 1895 ^^^ 1896, when the Spanish Gov- 
ernment proposed what it called a " Home Rule" 
bill. This purported to give home rule to Cuba, 
but in reality was designed to strengthen the bonds 
of Spanish tyranny and fasten them more securely 
and permanently upon the island. 

Trouble witli the United States. 

Nor did the end of the war end the friction 
between Spain and the United States, as this pas- 
sage from a letter to Mr. Evarts, then Secretary 
of State, to the Minister to Spain, in 1880, will 
show : 

'' I have to instruct you to bring to the earnest 
attention of His Majesty's Government a series 
of occurrences on the high seas and in waters 
adjacent to the eastern part of the island of Cuba 
of such exceptional gravity that this Government 
cannot but attach the utmost importance thereto, 
inasmuch as the facts which have been brought to 
the attention of this Department, if substantiated, 
involve not only unwarrantable interference with 
the legitimate pursuit of peaceful commerce by 
American citizens, but also a grave affront to the 
honor and dignity of their flag. 




I 



General Calixto Garcia, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 355 

''Four separate instances of the visitation 
and search of American commercial vessels by 
armed cruisers of Spain have been reported in 
rapid succession, under circumstances which im- 
press the mind of the President with the substan- 
tial truthfulness of the statements, made under 
circumstances which preclude collusion or wilful 
deception on the part of those making them. 

"The facts of these occurrences, in the order 
in which they took place, as sworn to by the officers 
of the several vessels, are as follows : 

Xlie Case of tlie < Merritt.' 

''First. The schooner 'Ethel A. Merritt,' 
one of the fleet belonging to the firm of Warner & 
Merritt, fruiterers, of Philadelphia, sailed from 
Port Antonio, Jamaica, on the 29th of May last, 
laden with fruit for Philadelphia. On the next day. 
May 30th, she was overhauled by a vessel-of-war 
under the Spanish flag, which fired a blank shot, 
upon which the 'Ethel A. Merritt ' displayed the 
United States flag and kept on her course. The 
cruiser then bore down upon her and fired a solid 
shot which glanced and passed through her rig- 
ging. The master of the schooner, to save the 
owners' property and the lives of his crew, then 
hove to and his vessel was boarded by an armed 
officer, In Spanish uniform, who searched her, and 
finding nothing on board save legitimate cargo, 
permitted her to proceed on her course. The 



356 CUBA. 

affidavits of the master and first mate of the 
schooner fixed her distance from the nearest point 
of the Island of Cuba at the time she was boarded 
as between six and seven nautical miles. The name 
of the boarding cruiser was not ascertained at the 
time, and through the mistaken Impression of one 
of the schooner's crew, who read the name on her 
stern Indistinctly, she was supposed to be called 
the ' Nuncio ' or ' Nunico '. 

"Second. The schooner ' Eunice P. New- 
comb,* of Wellfleet, Mass., bound from Port An- 
tonio, Jamaica, to Boston, with a cargo of bananas 
and cocoanuts, on or about the i8th of June last, 
was In like manner overhauled by a gunboat un- 
der the Spanish flag, which fired a blank shot 
across her bow. The 'Eunice P. Newcomb' showed 
the United States flag and kept on her course, 
being then on the high seas, seven or eight nauti- 
cal miles from the coast of Cuba. The Spanish 
cruiser next fired a solid shot across the schooner's 
stern, when the latter hove to and was boarded 
by three men from the gunboat, who searched 
the vessel and left her to proceed on her course. 
In this case, also, the name of the boarding cruiser 
was not reported to the Department. 
Otlier Outragres. 

''Third. The schooner 'George Washing- 
ton,' of Booth Bay, Me., cleared from Baltimore, 
Md., on the 2 2d of June last, In ballast, for 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 357 

Manchioneal, In Jamaica, for a cargo of fruit. 
On the 5th of July, when about fifteen miles 
distant from Cape Maysi, on the eastern 
extremity of the island of Cuba, she sighted a 
steamer some ten miles distant. The steamer 
altered her course and bore down upon the 
schooner, which hoisted the United States flag. 
The steamer overtook the schooner, not display- 
ing the Spanish flag until abreast of her, steamed 
ahead with guns manned, and lowered a boat 
which put off to the 'George Washington.' The 
master of the latter hove to, and the boat, con- 
taining two officers and two men, heavily armed, 
ran alongside. The Spanish officers and cox- 
swain went on board, examined the schooner's 
papers, searched her hold and ship's stores, 
inspected all her crew, and left her without 
explanation. The search took place about fifteen 
miles easterly of Cape Maysi. The name of the 
vessel was in this instance also not ascertained, 
but the concluding letters on her stern, all that 
could be read as she lay, are said to have been 
*Gary,' which leads the department to conjecture 
that she may have been the 'Blasco de Garay,' 
the gunboat concerned the following day, in the 
same neighborhood, in the fourth and last of the 
cases of visitation and search thus far reported to 
this Government. 

*' Fourth. The schooner 'Hattie Haskell,' of 



358 CUBA. 

New York, sailed from that city on the i8th of 
June last, with a general cargo for the San Bias 
coast in the Colombian State of Panama. On 
the 6th of July she sighted the east coast of Cuba, 
off Cape Maysi. At two o'clock that day she 
sighted a side-wheel steamer, which gave chase, 
and, when near, set the Spanish flag, whereat the 
'Hattie HaskelF showed the American colors. At 
six o'clock the gunboat, which proved to be the 
'Blasco de Garay,* ordered the schooner to heave 
to, and when a cable's length distant sent a boat 
off to her with an armed crew, her guns being 
meanwhile manned and crew mustered for action. 
The boat carried two officers, who examined the 
schooner's papers and searched her hold, after 
which she was permitted to proceed. This visit 
and search occurred about twenty-two miles south- 
westerly from Cape Maysi, as verified by the 
affidavits of the master, mate, and all the crew of 
the 'Hattie Haskell' before the United States 
Court at Aspinwall. 

Redress Denkanded. 
''As may naturally be supposed, these occur- 
rences gave this Government much concern, 
and immediate steps were taken to ascertain the 
truth of the facts stated. The denial of the pos- 
sibility of such an event having taken place, which 
was spontaneously made public through the press 
of the Cuban authorities, coupled with the circum- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 359 

Stances of no vessel bearing a name even remotely 
like that of 'Nuncio' or 'Nunico' being in the 
Spanish service, gave rise at first to the conjecture 
that the attack on the ' Ethel A. Merritt ' might 
have been the work of some piratical craft, and the 
'Tennessee,' a war vessel of the United States, 
was promptly dispatched to Cuban waters to 
make an investigation. 

"Your own dispatch of the i6th of June 
(No. 33) shows how quick the Spanish ministry 
was to disavow the act, then only known to it 
through the press ; and how earnest was the 
assurance given that if the firing had taken place 
as reported, it was done contrary to the express 
orders and wish of the Spanish Government. It 
was, however, soon learned by the rear-admiral 
commanding the ' Tennessee ' that the firing upon, 
boarding, and search of the ' Ethel A. Merritt ' and 
' Eunice P. Newcomb ' was admitted by the Spanish 
authorities at Santiago de Cuba, the explanation 
given by them being that the guarda costas are 
not permitted to cruise at a greater distance than 
six miles from the Cuban shore ; that the schoon- 
ers, when boarded by officers of the gunboat 
' Canto,' were at a distance not greater than from 
two to three miles from the south coast of Cuba, 
and that the occurrences were immediately re- 
ported through the captain of the port of Santiago 
de Cuba to the Spanish admiral at Havana. 



360 CUBA. 

*' The reported visitation and search of the 
' George Washington ' and ' Hattie Haskell ' has 
not as yet been in like manner admitted, but from 
the verification of incidents with respect to the two 
previous searches, there can be little doubt that 
the occurrences in their cases will be likewise 
found to be true, and that the war vessels of 
Spain off the coast of Cuba have in at least four 
instances in rapid succession exercised the right 
of visitation and search upon vessels of the United 
States flying the American flag, and passing in 
the pusuit of lawful trade through the commercial 
highway of nations which lies to the eastward of 
the island of Cuba. This Government does not 
lose sight of the exparte declarations made by the 
Spanish local authorities at Santiago de Cuba, 
that the two acts thus far verified took place 
within the three-mile limit. This point is in dis- 
pute, and evidence as trustworthy as proof can 
well be in such cases is adduced to show that the 
vessels were at the time from six to eight miles 
distant from the shore. In the cases of the two 
remaining searches the evidence fixes the dis- 
tance from shore far outside of the limits men- 
tioned, and in that of the ' Hattie Haskell,' especi- 
ally, at over twenty miles from the Cuban coast." 
Spanisli ^reacliery. 

What did Spain do to fulfill the promises 
made by Campos ? She allowed Cuba to send a 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 36 1 

few deputies to the Cortes, who, for sixteen years, 
vainly protested against Spanish misrule, and as 
vainly demanded self-government as the only 
means of saving the country. Their protests were 
heard with indifference and their demands treated 
with derision. Finally, Senor Maura unexpectedly 
came forward with the proposal of a new system 
of government for the colony, and later Senor 
Abarzuza, with the same absurdity revised and 
enlarged. One can scarcely believe that a sane 
man could have drafted and offered it as a system 
of self-government. It is no more than a council 
of administration, composed of thirty members, of 
which fifteen are elected by the people and fifteen 
appointed by the government of Spain, presided 
over by the Captain-General, who has the casting 
vote, the veto power and the most extraordinary 
and absurd power of suspending from their func- 
tions, at any time and without thereby invalidating 
the proceedings of the council, such members as 
he might deem expedient. In other words, the 
government could, whenever it chose to do so, 
produce an artificial majority. Yet this was not 
considered a sufficient safeguard, and it Is further 
provided that the decisions of the council shall 
not be valid until submitted to and approved by 
the Cortes. Nor is this all. The council has 
power only to prepare the estimates of expendi- 
ture and to recommend the appropriation for 



362 CUBA. 

internal improvements ; the other estimates and 
appropriations, and especially those of the army 
and navy, are to be prepared and recommended 
to the Cortes, as heretofore, by the Minister for 
the Colonies. That is what Senor Abarzuza called 
self-government. 

The news of the scheme was received in 
Cuba with indignation, and justly so, for such a 
proposition was not only an insult, but a most 
provoking mockery. Its acceptance by the 
Cuban people would have placed their destinies 
more firmly in the hands of the Spanish Govern- 
ment, and their resentment was extended and 
was ^intensified when it was discovered that the 
immediate object of the plan was to raise a loan 
of ^250,000,000 or $300,000,000 for the Spanish 
treasury with the guarantee of Cuba, a guarantee 
which, without having some apparent representa- 
tion, she could not give, and which the govern- 
ment would have easily secured by suspending 
such members of the Council as opposed it, thus 
creating a favorable majority. 

Under the circumstances there was no 
alternative for the Cuban people but to shoulder 
their rifles, grasp their machetes and fight for 
their rights, their freedom and their independence 
from a metropolis whose bad faith, rapacity, 
and insolence have no limit and know no 
bounds. 




i*^^5|^^ 




General Antonio Maceo, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 365 

Blunderiiis: as 'well as Plundering;. 

Are the deficiencies of the Spanish regime 
compensated by the wisdom of its administration ? 
Every time the Spanish government has under- 
taken the solution of any of the great problems 
pending in Cuba, it has only confused and made 
it worse. It has solved it blindly or yielded to the 
influence of those who were to profit by the 
change. It will be sufficient to recall the with- 
drawal from circulation of the bank notes, which 
proved to be a highly lucrative transaction for a 
few persons, but which only embarrassed and 
impaired the monetary circulation of the island. 
From one day to another the cost of living be- 
came forty per cent, dearer. The depreciated 
Spanish silver entered into circulation to drive out, 
as was natural, the "centum" (five dollar gold 
coin), and make small transactions difficult. To 
reach these results the Spanish government had 
transformed a debt on which it had no interest to 
pay a debt bearing a high rate of interest. It is 
true that, in exchange, all the retail dealers, 
whose votes it was desirable to keep, derived 
very large profits from the operation. These 
dealers are, of course, Spaniards. 

No Popular I^ilierty. 

In exchange for all that Spain withholds from 
Cuba, they say that it has given liberties. This is 
a mockery. The liberties are written in the Con- 



366 CUBA. 

stitution, but obliterated in its practical applica- 
tion. Before and after its promulgation the 
public press has been rigorously persecuted in 
Cuba. Many journalists, such as Senores Cepeda 
and Lopes Brinas, have been banished from the 
country without the formality of a trial. In No- 
vember of 1 89 1 the writer Don Manuel A. 
Balmaseda was tried by court martial for having 
published an editorial paragraph in El Criteria 
Popular, of Remedios, relative to the shooting of 
the medical students. The newspapers have 
been allowed to discuss public affairs theoreti- 
cally ; but the moment they denounce any abuse 
or the conduct of any official they feel the hand of 
their rulers laid upon them. The official organ 
of the home-rule party, El Pais, named before El 
Triunfo, has undergone more than one trial for 
having pointed in measured terms to some infrac- 
tions of the law on the part of officials, naming the 
transgressors. In 1887 that periodical was sub- 
jected to criminal proceedings simply because it 
had stated that a son of the president of the 
Havana Audiencia was holding a certain office 
contrary to law. 

They say that in Cuba the people are at lib- 
erty to hold public meetings, but every time the 
inhabitants assemble, previous notification must 
be given to the authorities, and a functionary is 
appointed to be present, with power to suspend 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 367 

the meeting whenever he deems such a measure 
advisable. The meetings of the " Circulo de 
Trabajadores" (an association of workingmen) 
were forbidden by the authorities under the pre- 
text that the building where they were to be held 
was not sufficiently safe. In 1894 the members 
of the " Circulo de Hacendados" (association of 
planters) invited their fellow members throughout 
the country to get up a great demonstration to 
demand a remedy which the critical state of 
their affairs required. The Government found 
means to prevent their meeting. One of the most 
significant events that have occurred in Cuba, and 
one which throws a flood of light upon its 
political regime, was the failure of the ''Junta 
Magna" ^(an extraordinary meeting) projected 
by the " Circulo de Hacendados." This corpora- 
tion solicited the co-operation of the '' Sociedad 
Economica," and of the "Junta General de 
Comercio" to hold a meeting for the purpose of 
sending to the Metropolis the complaints which 
the precarious situation of the country inspired. 
The work of preparation was already far ad- 
vanced, when a friend of the Government, Senor 
Rodriguez Correa, stated that the Governor-Gen- 
eral looked with displeasure upon 2ind forbade the 
holding of the great meeting. This was sufficient 
to frighten the '' Circulo" and to secure the failure 
of the project. It is then evident that the inhab- 



368 CUBA. 

itants of Cuba can have meetings only when the 

Government thinks it advisable to permit them. 

Cuban Appeals for Justice. 

Against this political regime, which is a 
sarcasm, and in which deception is added to the 
most absolute contempt for right, the Cubans 
have unceasingly protested since It was implanted 
in 1878. It would be difficult to enumerate the 
representations made in Spain, the protests 
voiced by the representatives of Cuba, the 
commissions that have crossed the ocean to try 
to Impress upon the exploiters of Cuba what the 
fatal consequences of their obstinacy would be. 
The exasperation prevailing In the country was 
such that the ''Junta Central" of the home-rule 
party issued in 1892 a manifesto in which It fore- 
shadowed that the moment might shortly arrive 
when the country would resort to ''extreme 
measures, the responsibility of which would fall 
on those who, led by arrogance and priding 
themselves on their power, hold prudence in 
contempt, worship force and shield themselves 
with their impunity." 

This manifesto, which foreboded the mourn- 
ful hours of the present war, was unheeded by 
Spain, and not until a division took place in the 
Spanish party, which threatened to turn into an 
armed struggle, did the statesmen of Spain think 
that the moment had arrived to try a new farce, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 369 

and to make a false show of reform in the 
administrative regime of Cuba. Then was 
Minister Maura's plan broached, to be modified 
before its birth by Minister Abarzuza's. 
Tlie Mockery of Home Rule. 
This project, to which the Spaniards have 
endeavored to give capital importance in order to 
condemn the revolution as the work of impatience 
and anarchism, leaves intact the political regime 
of Cuba. It does not alter the electoral law. It 
does not curtail the power of the bureaucracy. 
It increases the power of the general government. 
It leaves the same burdens upon the Cuban tax- 
payer, and does not give him the right to partici- 
pate in the formation of the budgets. The reform 
is confined to the chanofina- of the Council of Ad- 
ministration (now in existence in the island, and 
the members of which are appointed by the gov- 
ernment) into a partially elective body. One half 
of its members are to be appointed by the govern- 
ment, and the other half to be elected by the 
qualified electors, that is, who assessed and pay 
for a certain amount of taxes. The Governor- 
General has the right to veto all its resolutions, 
and to suspend at will the elective members. 
This Council is to make up a kind of special 
budget embracing the items included now in the 
general budget of Cuba under the head of 
" Fomento." The State reserves for itself all the 
21 



2,'JO CUBA. 

rest. Thus the Council can dispose of 2.75 per 
cent, of the revenues of Cuba, while the govern- 
ment distributes, as at present, 97.25 per cent, 
for its expenses, in the form we have explained. 
The general budget will as heretofore be made up 
in Spain ; the tariff laws will be enacted by Spain. 
The debt, militarism and bureaucracy will con- 
tinue to devour Cuba, and the Cubans will con- 
tinue to be treated as a subjugated people. All 
power is to continue in the hands of the Spanish 
government and its delegates in Cuba, and all the 
influence with the Spanish residents. This is the 
self-government which Spain has promised to 
Cuba, and which it is announcing to the world, in 
exchange for its colonial system. A far better 
form of government is enjoyed by the Bahama or 
the Turks Islands. 

Xbe Final Arraig-nment. 

The Cubans would have been wanting not 
only in self-respect, but even in the instincts of 
self-preservation, if they could have endured such 
a degrading and destructive regime. Their griev- 
ances are of such a nature that no people, no 
human community, capable of valuing Its honor 
and of aspiring to better its condition, could bear 
them without degrading and condemning itself to 
utter nullity and annihilation. 

Spain denies to the Cubans all effective 
powers in their own country. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 37 1 

Spain condemns the Cubans to a political 
inferiority in the land where they are born. 

Spain confiscates the product of the Cubans' 
labor, without giving them in return either safety, 
prosperity or education. 

Spain has shown itself utterly incapable of 
governing Cuba. 

Spain exploits, impoverishes and demoralizes 
Cuba. 

To maintain by force of arms this monstrous 
regime, which brings ruin on a country rich by 
nature and degrades a vigorous and intelligent 
population filled with noble aspirations, is what 
Spain calls to defend its honor and to preserve 
the prestige of its social functions as a civilizing 
power of America. 

Xlie Appeal to Arms. 

The Cubans, not in anger but in despair, have 
appealed to arms in order to defend their rights 
and to vindicate an eternal principle, a principle 
without which every community, however robust 
in appearance, is in danger — the principle of 
justice. Nobody has the right of oppression. 
Spain oppresses them. In rebelling against op- 
pression, they defend a right. In serving their 
own cause they serve the cause of mankind. 

*' We have not counted the number of our 
enemies," says one of their leaders; *'we have 
not measured their strength. We have cast up 



372 CUBA. 

the account of our grievances ; we have weighed 
the mass of injustice that crushes us, and with 
upHfted hearts we have risen to seek redress and 
to uphold our rights. We may find ruin and 
death a few steps ahead. So be it. We do our 
duty. If the world is indifferent to our cause, so 
much the worse for all. A new iniquity shall have 
been consummated. The principle of human soli- 
darity shall have suffered a defeat. The sum of 
good existing in the world, and which the world 
needs to purify its moral atmosphere, shall have 
been lessened. 

"The people of Cuba require only liberty 
and independence to become a factor of pros- 
perity and progress in the community of civilized 
nations. At present Cuba is a factor of intran- 
quillity, disturbance and ruin. The fault lies 
entirely with Spain. Cuba is not the offender ; 
it Is the defender of its rights. Let America, let 
the world decide where rest justice and right." 




CHAPTER XIV. 



BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION OF 1 895 — WHERE 
THE PLOT HATCHED FAMOUS MEN WHO ORGAN- 
IZED THE REBELLION — ARRIVAL OF THE LEADERS 

IN CUBA HOW GOMEZ REACHED CUBA CALLE- 

JAS' ATTEMPTS TO SECURE PEACE BY HEROIC MEAS- 
URES THE FIRST SKIRMISHES IRONICAL GRAT- 
ITUDE SPREAD OF THE REBELLION RESOLUTE 

SPIRIT OF THE PATRIOTS COMPLAINTS OF THE 

CONSUL-GENERAL — TRAGEDIES IN CUBA. 




N FEBRUARY 24th, 1895, the flag of 
the Cuban RepubHc was raised in the 
mountains of the province of Santiago 
in the eastern end of the island. 

This was the signal for the beginning of the 
sixth insurrection that has broken out in Cuba in 
the present century. 

The ten years' civil war in the island from 
1868 to 1878 was ended by Marshal Martinez 
Campos promising a number of reforms. These 
promises were not kept, and naturally widespread 
discontent ensued. 

During the last few years, three parties 
played important parts in the politics of the island. 

First, the Conservatives, or party of the Con- 
stitutional Union, who professed themselves satis- 

(373) 



374 CUBA. 

fied with the existing state of things ; secondly, 
the Autonomists, or Liberal Reform party, having 
a Home Rule program ; and thirdly, the Republi- 
cans, or Separatists. 

Both the Conservatives and Home Rulers had 
been anxious to maintain the Spanish connection, 
fearing that Cuban independence would have one 
of two results, either that the island would be ex- 
ploited by American adventurers, or that, if left 
to Itself, it would run the risk of becoming another 
Hayti, coming under the rule of the negroes, half- 
breeds and mulattoes, who form a large part of 
Cuba's population. 

So strong was this feeling, that had the 
Spanish Government kept its promises and had 
it made some concessions in the direction of home 
rule, it is highly probable that the revolution of 
1895 would never have taken place. 

But the local authorities, by imprisoning 
Autonomist leaders, drove many of the party into 
more or less active sympathy with insurgent 
patriots. 

Cuba's earlier revolutions were properly 
termed Insurrections, for in many cases they were 
without the sympathy of the masses, and hence — 
hopeless from the start. But, in 1895, the native 
Cubans allied themselves with the Liberal wing of 
the Spanish residents to make common cause 
against the domination of the Spanish monarchy. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 2>7 5 

This union of the Autonomists and Republi- 
cans was an association of two powerful parties, 
whose one aim was to free Cuba from the tyranny 
of a g-overnment that had made that unhappy 
country the fairest of promises and had broken 
those promises without the slightest regard for 
truth or honor. 

The united parties desired to make Cuba a 
Liberal Republic, which should make its own laws 
and treaties to suit its economic conditions, and 
to establish a government ''of the people, by the 
people and for the people." 

"Where tlie Plot 'was Hatclied. 

While the Autonomist and Republican forces 
in Cuba were being drawn together and amalga- 
mated by the power of a common wrong and a 
common spirit of patriotism, friends of Cuba 
Libre, in New York, were planning the Initial 
steps of organized rebellion. 

Meetings were held, funds were raised and 
plans of campaign formulated In various cities of 
the United States, but it was In New York that 
the leaders of the revolution most often met, It 
was In New York that the Cuban Junta had Its 
headquarters, and the order which led to the 
raising of the five-barred patriot flag in the 
mountains of Santiago was sent from New York. 

Cuban leaders in the United States, in 
league with sympathizers In Mexico and South 



2i'](i CUBA. 

America and with the revolutionists in the island 

itself, had long been preparing for the events 

which resulted in the now celebrated flag-raising. 

Famous Men wlio Orsranized tlie Rebellion. 

The names of Marti and Gomez are indis- 
solubly connected with the beginning of the 
revolution. 

Jose Marti, who was made president of the 
party, was then about forty years old. His life 
history reads like that of some hero in fiction. 

At the time of the breaking out of the Ten 
Years' War, although he was then merely a boy 
of fifteen, he was sent to Spain for conspiring 
against the government. There he was kept 
confined in a dungeon until he was at the point 
of death, and was finally set free only on con- 
dition that he would remain in Spain for the rest 
of his life. He studied at Saragossa, and by the 
time he was twenty-one years old had received 
the highest degrees the University could bestow. 
When the Spanish Republic was proclaimed he 
left the country by the way of France and 
returned to the United States. The Cuban war 
was then nearly over. Nevertheless he went to 
Mexico and there prepared an expedition to aid 
his countrymen. It was a failure, but he escaped 
the clutches of the Spaniards and went to Central 
America as a University professor. 

After the restoration of peace in 1878 he 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 377 

returned to Cuba and was permitted to remain 
there for a time. The Spanish authorities pres- 
ently suspected him, however, of arousing the 
patriotic spirit of the Cubans, and accordingly 
sent him back to Spain. Again he escaped from 
the country and came to New York, where he 
attempted to organize, with Calixto Garcia, 
another revolt in 1879. That attempt was also a 
failure, but it did not discourage him. Since that 
time he has worked unceasingly for the cause. He 
was an author, a poet, and a newspaper man of 
high attainments. In 1891 he served as the rep- 
resentative of Uruguay at the International Mone- 
tary Conference at Washington. He also served 
as Consul at New York for various South Ameri- 
can countries, but when Spain complained that he 
was using his position to promote disaffection in 
Cuba, he resigned his office and devoted himself 
more exclusively to the Cuban cause. 

The treasurer of the Revolutionary party was 
Benjamin Guerra, a cigar manufacturer, who had 
been a Cuban patriot ever since his childhood. 

The secretary was Gonzales de Quesada, who 
had lived in New York since he was sixteen years 
old, and was a graduate of Columbia College. 

Maximo Gomez, of whom we shall hear 
much more, had been the commander of the 
eastern wing of the Cuban army in the revolution 
of 1868. 



37^ CUBA. 

Arrival of tlie I^eaders in Cuba. 

During the first month of the rebelHon of 
1895, the success of the movement was by no 
means assured. In fact, Its continuance was due 
solely to the firmness, resolution and courage of 
the leaders in the field, notably Bartolome Masso 
and William Moncada. Although these men saw 
that the people did not respond to the call to 
arms as quickly as it had been thought they would, 
none of them would listen to any propositions 
favoring the abandonment of revolutionary plans. 

At the beginning of the war Moncada had 
charge of the forces in the eastern section of the 
island, includinof Guantanamo. 

Major-General Julio Sanguilly was in com- 
mand of the insurorent forces at Matanzas, near 
Ybarra, about sixty-six miles east of Havana, on 
the west end of the island. 

Soon after the first dispatches were received 
from Cuba announcing an uprising in Ybarra, 
other despatches arrived telling of trouble in 
Guantanamo. The fact that simultaneous insur- 
gent action occurred in parts of the island so 
widely separated as are these two points, proved 
conclusively tc all thoughtful people that Cuba 
was on the brink of another revolution. Still 
there were many who doubted the success of the 
movement.. 

On March 31st Gen. Antonio Maceo and his 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 379 

brother Jose, with twenty-two others, landed at 
Duaba, near Baracoa, and as soon as they were 
able to join others already in arms, and the news 
of their arrival reached Santiago and other cities, 
the aspect of things began to change, and men 
who until then had hesitated to support the move- 
ment began to join the little army. 

On April 1 1 General Maximo Gomez and 
Jose Marti with two friends landed at the south- 
eastern extremity of Cuba, and having joined 
Maceo, a general plan was arranged whereby 
General Maceo was to remain in the Province of 
Santiago, and General Gomez was to proceed to 
Camaguey as General-in-Chief of the army. 

Before the landing of Generals Maceo and 
Gomez, the majority of those in arms were ne- 
groes, but immediately after the proportion of 
whites began to increase, and although in the 
Province of Santiago the negro element always 
preponderated in the rank and file, the great ma- 
jority of the officers were whites, while in Cama- 
guey, on the contrary, the army under Gomez, 
from the beginning, was composed chiefly of 
white men. 

Mo^w Gatnex Reactied Cuba. 

Captain Ronald Lamont, of the steamship 
** Indianapolis," from Central American waters, 
brought the first authentic account of the landing 
of General Gomez and party on the Cuban coast. 



380 CUBA. 

From authorities at the island of Inagua the 
Captain learned that Gomez and three other in- 
surgent leaders reached Cuba from this country 
by a round-about course, by way of Inagua, 
Jamaica and Hayti. At Inagua they purchased 
a fourteen-foot, four-oared keel boat, and, em- 
barking on the German steamer "Nostrand," slung 
their boat from the davits. Just at daybreak on 
April 10, when the steamer was two miles off 
Cape Maysi, General Gomez and the others of 
his party dropped their boat into the water and 
quietly landed on the Cuban coast. Thence they 
made their way through the bush to the interior, 
where they reached the main body of insurgents. 
It was known at Inaeua that General Gomez had 
with him fully ^50,000 in American gold. 

The insurgents knew the time and place of 
Maximo Gomez's landing, and Perequito Perez, 
at the head of 600 Cubans, met him soon after 
disembarkation at Rio Sabana la Mar, about 
thirty miles east of Guantanamo, on the south 
coast. The "CondedeVenadito" failed to intercept 
the insurgents on the sea, and 1,000 Spanish 
troops failed to head them off on the land. 

Particulars about the sinking of a British 
schooner off the coast of Cuba by the Spanish 
warship "Conde de Venadito" were also gathered 
by Captain Lamont from the Inaguan authorities. 
It appears that twenty-five Cuban insurgent 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 38 1 

sympathizers, exiled in Central America, took 
passage on the Atlas steamer "Adirondack" for 
Long Key, on Fortune Island. At Long Key 
they succeeded through the American consular 
agent, Mr. Farrington, in buying a small schooner 
for ^1,500. One of the conditions of the pur- 
chase was that Mr. Farrington should allow his 
crew and officers to remain on board, their wages 
to be the same as those paid by Mr. Farrington. 
The new owners cleared for Inagua. Instead of 
allowing the captain to proceed to Inagua, they 
compelled him to steer for Cuba, and they landed 
at a point on the Cuban coast near Baracoa. 
Then they told the captain to return to Inagua, 
or wherever he cared to go. 

Calleja's Attempts to Secure Peace toy Heroic 
Measures. 

When the insurrection began, the Governor 
of the island was General Calleja, a Spaniard, who 
had been in Cuba since 1873. He is said to have 
been in favor of conciliation, but was hope- 
lessly hampered by Spanish officials at Havana. 

It was originally planned to raise the Cuban 
flag on the twenty-second of February, the anni- 
versary of Washington's birthday, being deemed 
a fitting occasion for the actual beginning of the 
insurrection. Owing to various delays and dis- 
appointments, however, the raising of the stand- 
ard was postponed till February twenty-fourth. 



382 CUBA. 

As soon as news of the uprising reached 
Governor-General Calleja, he issued a proclama- 
tion suspending constitutional guarantees. He 
also put in effect the *' Public Order Law," a law 
which provides for the immediate punishment of 
anybody taken in a seditious act. 

At a special cabinet meeting, called to con- 
sider Cuban affairs, on the evening of February 
twenty-fifth, in Madrid, Senor Abarzuza, Spain's 
Minister of Colonies, authorized Calleja to pro- 
claim martial law in Cuba. 

The forces at Calleja's disposal were six 
regiments of infantry, three of cavalry, two 
battalions of garrison artillery, and a mountain 
battery. These numbered nearly 20,000 men, 
besides some 14,000 local militia, or over 30,000 
men in all. But it is only fair to Calleja to add 
that when he returned to Madrid in May he 
declared that half the regular forces existed only 
on paper, and that the militia were not reliable. 
He was weak in artillery, but that did not so 
much matter, as the insurgents had none. He 
had the great advantage of holding all the large 
coast towns, with the help of forts, some of them 
dating from early Spanish days, but all of them 
strong enough to resist an irregular attack. He 
had also a squadron of five cruisers and six 
gunboats with which to further protect the coast 
towns, cut off supplies coming to the rebels from 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 383 

abroad, and secure the safe transport of his 
troops to any point on the long coast Hne that 
might be chosen as a base of operations. With 
all these advantages it might have been expected 
that with even 10,000 regulars he would have 
been able to deal with an insurrection in one 
corner of the island. But he failed to crush, or, 
rather, hunt down the bands in the Santiago 
province, and early in March he reported to 
Madrid that he could not hold his own unless 
both the army and navy were largely reinforced. 
Xlie First Skirmislies. 
The first encounter between the Spanish 
army and the Cuban forces took place in the 
Province of Santiago, at Los Negros. The 
Cubans were led by Jesus Rabi, now a Brigadier- 
General. In this battle the Cubans, although 
very poorly armed, routed the Spanish forces. 
The second encounter was at El Guanabano, the 
Spaniards being commanded by Santocildes and 
the Cubans by Gen. Masso. The Spaniards were 
again routed, with the loss of 206 men. The 
Cuban loss was thirty-five. The next important 
move made by the Cubans was the simultaneous 
attacks on the villages El Cristo and El Caney 
and on a railroad train carrying arms and 
ammunition. Both villages were captured by the 
Cubans and the barracks were destroyed. The 
train was also captured, together with 200 rifles 



384 CUBA. 

and 40,000 cartridges. These operations were 
directed by Gen. Maceo. Next came the attack 
on and capture of the fort of Ramon de las 
Yaguas, where the Cubans took possession of 
150 rifles and 30,000 cartridges. Shortly after 
they attacked and captured the small port of 
Campechuela, which they held for two or three 
days. 

On March 27, the Queen Regent of Spain 
received the resignation of General Calleja. A 
Cabinet meeting was called to consider the situa- 
tion ; the Queen Regent presided. Martinez 
Campos was selected as Calleja's successor and 
he accepted the commission to go to Cuba at the 
head of reinforcements. He declared that as 
soon as he landed on the island he would pro- 
ceed with operations designed to put down the 
revolt at once. Subsequent events proved that 
his intentions were better than his powers of ful- 
filment. 

Ironical Oratitude. 

On April 15 the former Governor-General 
of Cuba, General Calleja, received from Madrid 
an official dispatch in which the Queen Regent 
and her Government tendered him their thanks 
for ''the activity, zeal and ability with which he 
had directed military operations." Warm thanks 
were also extended for the bravery displayed by 
the army, the navy and the volunteers. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 385 

At the same time, Calleja was ordered to 
return home on the first steamer saiHng from 
Havana after General Martinez Campos' arrival 
there. The abruptness of his recall caused much 
comment. It was understood that the Govern- 
ment held him to blame for allowing the insur- 
gents to organize so effectively, but they did not 
choose to admit publicly that he had weakened 
their position by his incompetency, hence the 
dispatch of thanks, which presented so forcible a 
contradiction to the natural inferences drawn 
from his hasty recall. 

While these events were taking place in 
governmental circles, news of fresh insurgent 
victories were being received daily. 

spread of tlie Rebellion. 

On April 14th there was a large uprising in 
the province of Puerto Principe. Laborers, sugar- 
field hands and others took up arms for the cause. 

But a month earlier than this two important 
battles had been fought, one at Bayamo and one 
at Holguin. Colonel Santacildes was in com- 
mand of the Spanish forces, and Masso of the 
Cuban, at the former place ; and at the latter, 
Garrich was in command of the Spanish, and 
Mario of the Cuban force. The insurgents were 
successful, and had not reinforcements arrived, 
the Spanish leader and his troops would have 
fallen into their hands. 



386 CUBA. 

News of insurgent victories penetrated the 
various parts of the island slowly, owing to 
Spanish watchfulness ; but as real facts leaked 
out and the importance and probable success of 
the revolution was realized by Cubans and liberal 
Spaniards, uprisings similar to that of April 14th, 
in Puerto Principe, took place. 

Cubans in New York became more and more 
hopeful about the success of the movement. They 
felt that the time was ripe. Sugar and tobacco 
were low, taxes were high. Even the Spaniards 
on the island wanted a change of government. 
The struggle was not, at any time, against 
Spanish residents. The fight was for the estab- 
lishment of a free republic for Cubans and Span- 
iards alike, with power to negotiate treaties and 
to enjoy the freedom which Cuba saw on all sides 
and in all countries, and which she alone of all the 
colonies did not enjoy. 

Resolute Spirit of tlie Patriots. 

The general feeling was well expressed by 
one of the revolutionists in New York. Said he: 

"We have the population and the resources. 
The time has come. We have rubbed shoulders 
for a century with the civilization of Europe and 
America, and the education of our people is such 
that we can enjoy freedom without tearing an- 
archy. The young men of the country have 
traveled everywhere. We are simply fighting for 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 387 

liberty as the Americans fought for it or as the 
Greeks fought for it, and freedom must come. 

"There is no going back. It is to conquer 
or to be driven into the sea. We have no France 
to help us, no Lafayette. We must fight it out 
ourselves. For four years the party has been 
raising money and now it is ready. The men and 
the spirit were ready long ago, but men must 
have arms and supplies. There will be no falter- 
ing this time. The movement will be general, 
and when the chiefs of the last war who have 
been in exile set foot in Cuba the country will 
rally to their support and the island will be free. 
There will be fighting, it is true, perhaps much of it, 
but in the end the cause of freedom will triumph 
and the Spanish yoke will be cast off forever." 

Manuel Cruz, an intense patriot, was driven 
from Havana during the first part of the revolu- 
tion. He arrived in Florida with his family, and 
expressed himself as confident of Cuba's success 
if the leaders remained firm. He said that the 
troops in and around Havana were dying by the 
hundreds and many of those in the mountains 
were deserting. Near Santiago, thirty-six Span- 
ish soldiers lost their way, and, hearing that a 
band of insurgents were near by, joined them, 
taking their guns and accoutrements with them. 

But of course there was a dark side to all 
this. The revolutionists in Jaguey Grande with 



388 CUBA. 

Marreo, their leader, were obliged to surrender 
to the authorities. The result of this step was a 
dispatch sent by the Governor of Matanzas to the 
Governor-General, which was an expression of 
his satisfaction that the seditious movement In 
the Province of Matanzas was ended. The 
Governor of the Province of Santiago reported 
to the Governor-General that the rioters at Buire 
were disposed to surrender, and a favorable re- 
sult of pending parleyings with them was 
expected. 

As against this, however, came the following 
statement, by way of London from Madrid: 
"Private cipher telegrams from Cuba do not con- 
firm the official statement that the Rebellion has 
been virtually crushed. They declare that the 
insurgents gain strength daily." It was also 
well known by those in touch with the conserva- 
tive party that there was great irritation in official 
circles over reports that Americans were supply- 
ing the insurgents with money and arms. In 
view of this irritation the government at Washing- 
ton instructed its Minister at Madrid to assure 
the Spanish Government that the United States 
was taking extraordinary precautions to prevent 
any infractions of the neutrality laws. The 
Spanish Prime Minister soon afterward declared 
that he was fully satisfied with the attitude of the 
United States toward Cuban affairs, and he issued 








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FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 39 1 

orders to the captains of Spanish war-ships and 
the colonial officials, to observe international 
usages regarding maritime jurisdiction and the 
right of search, with a view to avoiding a conflict 
with the United States or other powers. 

Complaints of tlie Consul-Oeneral. 

There soon arose, however, some contro- 
versy over the conduct of the United States 
Consul-General at Havana. On the one hand, 
Americans declared that he was not sufficiently 
active in protecting their interests. On the other 
hand, Spaniards complained that his attitude was 
entirely too favorable toward the insurgents. His 
position was certainly a difficult one. He was, 
however, one of the ablest men in the United 
States Consular service, his tenure of office ex- 
ceeding in length that of any other member of 
the corps. He continued, therefore, to retain the 
confidence of the United States Government, and 
despite various rumors at the time, no serious 
effort was made by the Spaniards to secure his 
recall. His record at the State Department shows 
that he was remarkably successful in adjusting the 
numerous little difficulties in customs matters and 
other complications which arose between the 
United States and the Spanish authorities. 
Xragredies in Cuba. 

While these occurrences were creating some 
excitement, Cuba was the scene of many dark 



392 CUBA. 

tragedies. One of these was the execution of 
Lieutenant Gallegas, of the Spanish army. He 
had been In command of a party of sixty men in 
a village near Santiago. It was charged that he 
became intoxicated and, while in that condition, 
allowed himself to be surprised by the rebels and 
some of his men captured. For this he was con- 
demned to death. The day was made a public 
holiday, and thousands of men, women and chil- 
dren flocked to the scene of execution. Gallegas 
was brought out into an open space by the walls 
of Morro Castle, and a firing party of five men 
took position in front of him to shoot him to 
death. Instead of firing a volley, as usual, the 
men fired separately. The first shot struck him in 
the shoulder, merely wounding him. The second 
struck him squarely in the forehead and killed 
him. The other three soldiers did not fire, and 
the show was over. 

The Spaniards were now seriously alarmed 
for the safety of their most cherished colonial 
possession. Especially were the carpet-bag office- 
holders in Cuba panic-stricken. A wild cry of 
distress arose, and an urgent demand for the 
ablest soldier Spain had produced in this genera- 
tion to hasten to the field and subdue the insur- 
rection, as he had subdued its predecessor of 
1868-78. 



CHAPTER XV. 



CAMPOS TO THE RESCUE SOME ACCOUNT OF ''SPAIN S 

GREATEST GENERAL" THE MAN WHO PUT THE 

PRESENT DYNASTY BACK UPON THE THRONE 

HIS DEPARTURE FROM MADRID AND HIS ARRIVAL 
IN HAVANA EXPECTATIONS OF A SPEEDY CRUSH- 
ING OF THE REVOLT. 



(f' 



HE MADRID Government now began 
to admit that the affairs of Cuba were 
in a desperate pHght. The Queen Re- 
gent herself presided at a Cabinet meeting on 
March 28, to consider the subject. The resigna- 
tion of General Calleja was received, together 
with news from the Spanish Consul in Jamaica 
that the expedition organized by the rebel leader, 
Maceo, was expected to reach Cuba in a few days 
at most. It was thereupon decided to send Field- 
Marshal Martinez de Campos to be Callejas's suc- 
cessor. The sum of J2, 000,000 was also for- 
warded that very day to meet pressing demands. 
Ships were chartered, and arrangements made to 
hurry all available troops to the seat of war. 
Speaking to a correspondent, the Prime Minister, 
Canovas del Castillo, said : 

(393) 



394 CUBA. 

'' It is undeniable that the situation in Cuba 
is very serious. The Government must use all 
means to maintain the integrity of the kingdom 
and crush the rebellion speedily and thoroughly. 
Seven thousand troops will start for Cuba to- 
morrow, and 2000 will be ready to follow them. 
In six months 20,000 more will be ready. Indeed, 
we are prepared to send 100,000 if need be, for 
we must end this struggle once for all." 
Some Account of "Spain's Greatest Oeneral.'' 

In sending General Campos, the Spanish 
Government played its strongest card. We have 
already seen that it was he who finally ended the 
great Ten Years' War, in 1878. He had long 
been known as '' Spain's Greatest General." He 
was also called "The King Maker," since it was 
he who restored the present dynasty to the 
throne. 

Arsenio Martinez de Campos entered the 
Queen's Bodyguard in 1849. At twenty-nine he 
was a Colonel. Thenceforward his rise was 
rapid. It would be an error to suppose that his 
early occupation of a professional chair implied a 
deep devotion to the bookish theoric. ''His 
busy mind had drawn for him large pictures 
extravagant in color," and he took pains to ensue 
his visions. In the classic country of pronuncia- 
lydentos regimental duty shuts out opportunity ; a 
staff officer, on the other hand, has his fingers on 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 395 

the pulse of the army. And Martinez de Cam- 
pos knows — always has known — what that means 
in Spain. 

Nor does he lack political flair: nay, he 
proves it by lying low at the opportune moment. 
In 1868 he perceived that Prim must proclaim a 
Spanish pretender, or introduce a foreign prince, 
or establish a Republic. In these delicate cir- 
cumstances Martinez de Campos sought employ- 
ment In Cuba ; he never showed greater clever- 
ness. When he returned, a brigadier-general, 
the situation had cleared. No Spanish pretender 
being available, Prim produced his Savoyard 
prince. The expedient failed ; on the day that 
Amadeo landed. Prim was done to death in the 
streets of Madrid. Upon Amadeo's abdication, a 
Republic was proclaimed, with Figueras as a 
dummy President; and in March, 1873, Martinez 
de Campos was sent as Military Governor to 
Gerona with orders to suppress the Carlists. 
His defeat at Capdevanol has never been ex- 
plained ; but he survived it. With the expulsion 
of the Carlists from Berga, he began to take on 
the airs of a conqueror. The cantonal madness 
overspread the country, and Salmeron, persuaded 
that he had at last unearthed a man, appointed 
the budding Caesar Captain-General of Valencia. 
It were tedious to chronicle the small beer of his 
paltry campaigns. A check at Cartagena, a 



39^ CUBA. 

check at Alicante, shook official confidence ; 
Martinez de Campos was relieved of his com- 
mand and interned in the Balearic Islands. Here 
he dabbled in the Alfonsist plots for a restoration, 
till the Republican War Minister, Gonzalez Izcar 
made him second in command of the army of the 
North under Gutierrez de la Concha. Despite 
his defeats and failures, men still believed In him. 
He had, so they declared, a tremendous future 
under his hat, and they acted on the faith of their 
presentiment In the north he was overwhelmed 
with disaster. At Monte Muro, under Dorrega- 
ray, the Republicans were routed, and Concha 
himself fell mortally wounded in the last charge 
before Arbazuza. At nightfall Martinez de 
Campos found himself at the head of a dispirited 
armed rabble : for a moment he thought to rally 
his troops by proclaiming Alfonso XII. In the 
presence of Concha's corpse. The staff tittered, 
and the scheme fell through. Still, the Intention 
leaked out ; suspect at Madrid, the General 
would have been laid by the heels had not the 
War Minister, Zabala, gone bail for his devotion 
to the Republic. Henceforth, the game was 
smartly played. Martinez de Campos wrote to 
Isabel II. and to Canovas del Castillo, declaring 
that, in the desperate state of the good cause, he 
was about to retire Into private life at Avila ; he 
arranged that these letters should fall Into Repub- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 397 

lican hands, and, resigning his command, went up 
to Madrid for the necessary passport. Here he 
learned that no pronunciamiento was possible till 
the end of the year. On December 28, 1874, he 
left the capital in the night, reached next day the 
cantonment of Sagunto, where his friend Daban 
commanded three battalions, and ''pronounced" 
in favor of Alfonso XII. It was precisely the 
psychological moment. The troops hailed the 
proclamation with enthusiasm ; the telegraph was 
set to work, and the armies of the North and 
Centre accepted the new order. The rotten 
Republic came down like a house of cards, and 
the monarchy conquered at a blow. 

Tlie man -who put tlie I»resent Dynasty Back 
Upon tlie Xlirone. 

Martinez de Campos was acclaimed the 
Saviour of Society. Where others had faltered 
he had had the nerve to act : and he had his 
reward in rank, honors, money, and patronage. 
With the suppression of the Carlists in the Basque 
Provinces there arose a new question : how to 
get rid of the Saviour of Society. He had 
wrought the restoration of the dynasty ; and he 
had wrought it single-handed against the counsel 
of the King's chief adviser. Canovas has never 
forgiven him for being right. In the first place 
Canovas hated the old system of alternate absolu- 
tism and anarchy, tempered by prommciamientos; 



39^ CUBA. 

again he objected to Saviours of Society, 
who might, on occasion, "pronounce" against 
that heaven-born Minister, Canovas del Castillo. 
What was needed was an enterprise with small 
chance of success and many opportunities for 
failure : a bad climate, a stubborn foe, a mutinous 
army of boy conscripts, yellow fever, cholera, a 
stray bullet. Cuba fulfilled all the conditions and, 
if the Spanish commander failed, Canovas was 
prepared to sigh as a patriot and to smile as a 
party chief. To Cuba, then, Martinez de Campos 
went with a fire-new policy of his own. He 
declared that Canovas' pious theory, attributing 
all Cuban troubles to English and Yankee Free- 
masons, was simply bosh. He introduced a policy 
of concession, and he succeeded. The rebel 
leaders came in, and the treaty of Zanjon insured 
a temporary peace. When Martinez de Campos 
returned to Spain in the spring of 1879, the 
forecast of Canovas was accomplished. The 
statesman was ignominiously shown the door, and 
the fortunate soldier became Prime Minister. 
But not for long. In the Home Office sat Silvela, 
who so managed the elections as to secure a 
Canovist majority. The disgusted Marshal saw 
that he had been outwitted, and in his dudgeon 
he joined hands with his ancient foe, Praxedes de 
Sagasta. Since 1880 Martinez de Campos has 
made and unmade Ministries at his will. By 



I 





2" 

00. 



M^x"f. 



...iK.a . m.rviatfltui 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 4OI 

judicious bullying and cajolery he has swayed the 
see-saw as he wished. He has turned out Sagasta, 
as a mark of his displeasure ; he has allowed 
Canovas the title of Minister, but he has covered 
the old conspirator with humiliation. 

Meanwhile we may ask ourselves, Is Marti- 
nez Campos really the great military hero his 
country takes him for? In character he is strik- 
ingly Spanish, courteous and cold, audacious, in- 
domitable, and despotic. Luck has ruled his ad- 
venturous career, and the army dearly loves a 
a lucky commander. He has literally cut his way 
on the point of his sword, guided by the star of 
fortune. Until he came to Cuba this last time, he 
had never failed in anything he had undertaken. 
It may be that the fine figure he makes on horse- 
back largely inspires the kind of enthusiasm Bou- 
langer on his black charger excited in Paris some 
years ago. The race is so vividly defined in that 
figure of virile pride, of composed dignity, of un- 
conquerable and despotic force. He so empha- 
tically breathes the mediaeval sentiment, ''God 
and my good sword," and withal he retains so 
much of the Latin spirit of youth and such a 
fresh martial optimism. The sword for him is 
still the greater deliverer of mankind ; the camp 
is still the grand school of all the virtues. His 
glance, when the soldier's blood is roused. Is vi- 
vacious, scintillating with fervor, and he knows no 



402 CUBA. 

dejection or depression of spirit. He Is kind 
to his men, is impulsive in his behavior to them, 
and his pulses still can throb to the adventurous 
measure of youth. He carried with him across 
the ocean not only the love and admiration of hi^ 
country, but for the moment all its most passion 
ate hopes. 

Mis Departure from Madrid and liis Arrival 
in Havana. 

Such was the man who was to suppress the 
Cuban struggle for freedom. It was a fine day 
in early April when he left Madrid, to embark at 
Cadiz for Havana. " The weather," says an eye- 
witness, ''was lovely, and the sun lent brightness 
to the bright scene. A more spontaneous show 
of enthusiasm I have never seen. For the hour, 
admiration exalted the illustrious general to the 
post of Roman victor. Flowers abounded only 
less than smiles. The hero is a stout, heavy- 
faced Spaniard, with a charming courtesy of 
manner, a thick moustache, an imperial, and eyes 
as sad as the traditional orb of Iberia. The ex- 
pression is severe and commanding, and the head 
has a fine military air over the gay uniform of 
black with scarlet and gold facings. 

''All around and about the station were 
gathered an impassable crowd, as far as the 
' Paseo Del Botanico.' At six o'clock Martinez 
Campos' carriage was in sight, and slowly clove 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 403 

a passage through the sombre and brightly appa- 
relled multitude, the general bowing right and 
left in response to the roar of applause that 
greeted him. ' Vivas ' for Martinez Campos, 
for the little King, for the Queen regent, and for 
Spain rent the air. The general was accom- 
panied by his sons, the Gens. Suarez, Valdes, 
and Echague, his aids-de-camp, and other distin- 
guished persons — some of these only went as 
far as Cadiz. When way was made for the party, 
they took their place on the sleeping-cars, and 
Martinez Campos stood at the door to receive 
the numerous deputations and personages come 
to speed him on his voyage. First came all the 
high military officials of Spain, beginning with 
the aged captain-general, the Marquis of La 
Habana, accompanied by his aids-de-camp 
Carvagal and Tacon. The generals embraced 
warmly after the foreign custom, and the specta- 
tors of the scene made no secret of their demon- 
strative sympathy. The sympathy was greater 
because of the infirmities of the captain-general 
which necessitated frequent pauses for rest on 
chairs placed for his convenience. The Queen 
was represented by the Dukes of Medina Sidonia, 
and Sotomayor, and by the Gens. Alameda and 
Polacripa, the latter of whom conveyed her 
Majesty's compliments and best wishes for the 
voyage and expedition to the illustrious traveller. 



404 CUBA. 

The Infanta Isabel was represented by Don An- 
tonio Coello, her secretary. German and French 
regiments were represented, and every grade of 
civil and military authority was there to add bril- 
liance of varied uniforms to the brilliant scene, 
and the government was represented by the pre- 
sident of the Council, the ministers of war, of 
mercy and justice, the ministers of marine and 
Foreign Office. Politicians abounded, and the 
amiable, self-satisfied countenance of Emilio Cas- 
telar was a noted face in the crowd. 

"A hero feted without women to applaud his 
triumph were a sorry scene. The multitude 
joyously broke a passage for a distinguished 
group of Spanish ladies come to add the charm 
of flattery to a public ovation. Among them were 
the well-known writer, Emilia Pardo Bazan, 
Senora Canovas del Castillo, and many well- 
known aristocrats. Each lady as she approached 
the general's carriage was frantically cheered, and 
Martinez Campos beamed in glorified content, as 
befits a Don publicly rewarded for his prowess 
in the field by the admiration of the fair. 

*'At twenty minutes past six the signal for 
departure whistled, and the Andalusian express 
slowly steamed out amid the deafening roar of 
enthusiastic humanity excited to the point of 
fever. Cheers followed him as far as the multi- 
tude could penetrate, and Martinez Campos 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 405 

responded by a vigorous cheer for his country and 
his sovereign. While the train was in sight every 
head was uncovered. It was an imposing 
moment even in a Hfe so fortunate and triumph- 
ant, as that of Spain's first hving commander." 

General Campos was received at Havana 
with great rejoicings by the Spanish party. The 
Cubans regarded him with interest, and with 
some little trepidation. He spent several days in 
receiving delegations from the Cuban corpora- 
tions and the army and navy, by all of which he 
had been assured of hearty co-operation. To 
these delegations he said he relied upon the co- 
operation of the public to obtain peace within a 
very short time. His policy, he said, would be 
one of strict impartiality. He was satisfied with 
the army, but said he would severely punish any 
dereliction of military duties. On landing at 
Havana he issued a proclamation offering pardon 
to all who would lay down their arms, and some- 
what vaguely promising redress of grievances. 
But it was too late. The insurgents showed no 
disposition to surrender, and a considerable num- 
ber of the " loyal volunteers" and local militia 
began to desert to the rebel camps, some of them 
it would seem, having enlisted and obtained their 
arms with this purpose in view from the first. 

A brief tour of the provinces showed Gen- 
eral Campos that he had a bigger job on hand 



406 CUBA. 

than he had thought. The fact is, the Spanish 
Government had so systematically suppressed 
and distorted news of the war that even he had 
been deceived, and had imagined it was a small 
affair that could soon be ended. However, he 
kept up a brave front, and expressed hope of 
restoring peace throughout the island within three 
months. 

Hxpectations of a Speedy Crusliins: 
of tlie Revolt. 

About this time Senor Dupuy de Lome, the 
new Spanish Minister to the United States, vis- 
ited Cuba, and then came on to New York and 
Washington. He, too, was hopeful. Speaking 
to an acquaintance soon after his arrival in 
this country, he said : "The papers in America 
have teemed with reports of battles and oppres- 
sion. You would suppose from newspaper 
accounts that every inhabitant of Cuba had raised 
his shackled hands and cried out against Spanish 
oppression. That is wrong. There is very little 
interest being taken in the revolt by the people 
in Havana. I think the uprising will speedily be 
put down. The arrival of General Martinez 
Campos has brought order out of chaos : has 
shown clearly to the people that their interests 
will be protected, and as a result has caused a 
general feeling of security." 

Senor de Lome spoke highly of the cam- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 407 

paign mapped out by General Campos, and talked 
freely of Spain's policy toward Cuba. He said : 
'* There is one thing about General Campos 
— he does not say that he is going to do this or to 
do that, but he goes right ahead and does it. He 
is a soldier every inch, and not a toy fighter. He 
is loyal to his country, but he is humane, and as 
far as possible he will treat his enemies leniently. 
In the case of the leaders of the revolt, however 
severe justice will be meted out. Spain will, 
before the first of next month, have an army of 
24,000 men stationed in Cuba. With such a 
force the revolution will easily be put down. It 
is untrue that General Campos was furnished with 
money for the purpose of buying off the leaders 
of the revolt. Spain does not fight her battles 
that way." 




CHAPTER XVI. 



THE PATRIOTS TOO MUCH FOR CAMPOS ATTITUDE 

OF OTHER COUNTRIES THE INSURGENTS ORGAN- 
IZE WHO THE LEADERS WERE BATTLE OF SAO 

DEL INDIO BATTLE OF PERALEJO A SPANISH 

FORCE WIPED OUT. 




ARLY IN MAY, 1895, the insurgent 
leaders began to feel greatly elated 
over the progress of the insurrection. 

More had been accomplished in the one 
preceding month than in the first five years of the 
war of 1868. 

The patriots in Puerto Principe had more 
men, more arms, more horses and better facilities 
for obtaining subsistence than they had at any 
time in the ten years' war. 

They had forests in their rear, impenetrable 
to the Spanish troops, and they had mountain re- 
treats where 100 men could hold their own 
against 1,000. Maceo's plan was not to risk 
open battle, but to fall on the Spaniards from 
ambush, or exhaust them with forced marches. 
All the efforts of the Spaniards to deliver a telling 
blow at the head of the rebellion here were futile, 
and the number of insurgents in the field had 

(408) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 4O9 

doubled In three weeks. When Martinez Campos 
arrived from Spain there were about 3,000 In- 
surgents under arms. There were now over 
6,000, and the latest acquisitions had a larger 
proportion of white men than was the case 
at first. 

Attitude of Otlier Countries. 

In other countries the neutrality laws were 
being closely followed. 

Great Britain issued imperative orders that 
the strictest neutrality should be observed. In all 
West Indian ports the closest watch was kept. 
Captains of British men-of-war were on the look- 
out for expeditions. 

The United States Government issued simi- 
lar orders. Nevertheless expedition after ex- 
pedition was organized, many of which reached 
Cuba In safety. In one case, a report came from 
a trustworthy source that while the Spanish ship 
'Tnfanta Isabel " was detained In quarantine, at 
Tampa, Florida, a filibustering expedition left 
Key West for Cuba. 

Xlie Insurgrents Org-anize. 

On October ist, it became generally known 
that the insurgents had taken a most Important 
step In the foundation of a provisional govern- 
ment. The independence of the island of Cuba 
was solemnly declared on September 19th, at 
Anton, Puerto Principe province. 



41 CUBA. 

A revolutionary government was organized 
and the fundamental laws of the republic of Cuba 
were formally proclaimed. 

The government was constituted in the fol- 
lowing manner : 

President, Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, of 
Puerto Principe ; Vice-President, Bartolome Maso, 
of Manzanillo ; Secretary of War, Carlos Roloff, 
of Santa Clara ; Vice-Secretary of War, Mario 
Menocal, of Matanzas ; Secretary of Foreign 
Relations, Rafael Portuondo y Tamayo, of Santi- 
ago de Cuba ; Vice-Secretary of Foreign Rela- 
tions, Fermin Valdis Dominguez, of Havana ; 
Secretary of Finance, Severo Pina, of Sancti 
Spiritus ; Vice-Secretary of Finance, Joaquin 
Castillo Duany, of Santiago de Cuba ; Secretary 
of the Interior, Santiago Canizares, of Rem- 
edios ; Vice-Secretary of the Interior, Carlos 
Du Bois, of Baracoa ; General-in-Chief, Maximo 
Gomez ; Lieutenant-General, Antonio Maceo. 

Jose Maceo, Maso, Capote, Serafin Sanchez 
and Rodrigues were appointed majors-general. 
Jose Maceo to lead the operations in Baracoa, 
Guantanamo, Mayari and Santiago de Cuba ; 
Maso in Manzanillo, Bayamo and Holguin ; San- 
chez in the Villas, and Rodriguez in Camaguey. 

The headquarters of the new government 
were established in Puerto Principe province, and 
a systematic government was to be maintained. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 4 1 I 

"Wlio tlie rreaders 'Were. 

The Spanish Government had taken great 
pains to convince the world, and especially the 
people of this country, that the Cuban revolution- 
ary forces consisted only of some ignorant ne- 
groes, a few white people of the lowest class of 
society, some bandits and a few foreign adven- 
turers. That such was not the case, that it was 
not a movement in which only the lower classes 
of the Cuban people were taking an active part, 
but an uprising supported by the whole Cuban 
population, a few facts will show. 

The President was the ex-Marquis of Santa 
Lucia of Puerto Principe, a member of one of the 
most distinguished families of the island for social 
rank, wealth and talents. During the last seventy- 
five years you will find more than one Cisneros 
and more than one Betancourt who has attained 
distinction as lawyer, journalist, civil engineer 
botanist and also in other departments of science 
and art. The ex-Marquis of Santa Lucia, now 
President of the Republic, formally renounced his 
title of nobility when he joined the revolution in 
1868, and lost his estates, which were then con- 
fiscated by the Spanish Government. An insig- 
nificant part of them was turned over to him after 
the peace of 1878. 

Bartolome Maso, the vice-president, a native 
of Manzanillo, was a tried patriot, who has 



412 CUBA. 

rendered valuable services to the cause. A sin- 
cere republican, he has always been highly 
respected and esteemed for his liberal ideas and 
his sterling character. 

Gen. Carlos Roloff, Secretary of War, was 
born in Poland, but came to Cuba when a mere 
youth and established himself at Cienfuegos, 
where he attained quite a distinguished position 
for his intelligence, industry and integrity. In 
1869, at the head of quite a number of young 
men from the most prominent families of the 
city, he joined the revolution, and until the end 
of the war in 1878 occupied the first rank, both 
for his bravery and his military talents. 

The Assistant Secretary of War, Mario 
Menocal, belonged to one of the best families of 
Matanzas, and is a relative of one of the mem- 
bers of the Corps of Civil Engineers of the 
United States whose name is so well known in 
connection with the Nicaragua Canal. 

Rafael Portuondo y Tamayo, Secretary of 
Foreign Affairs, was a distinguished member of 
one of the most prominent families of Santiago de 
Cuba, both for social rank and wealth, no less 
than for the talents of some of the individuals be- 
longing to it, who have distinguished themselves 
in the liberal professions. 

Fermin Valdes Dominguez, Assistant Sec- 
retary of Foreign Affairs, was a well-known 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 413 

physician of Havana, who, when the students of 
the university of that city, his companions, were 
butchered by the volunteers, was sent to the 
penal colony of Ceuta, and was set at liberty 
after the peace. 

Severo Pina, Secretary of the Treasury, was 
a prominent citizen of Sancti Spiritus. He be- 
longed to an old and wealthy family. Joaquin 
Castillo Duany, Assistant Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, was a gentleman not unknown in this coun- 
try, having been one of the physicians who took 
part in the Jeannette Relief Expedition to the 
North Pole. No names stand higher in Santiago 
de Cuba for wealth and respectability than those 
of Duany and Castillo. Santiago Canizares, 
Secretary of the Interior, was a prominent citizen 
of Remedios. 

The General-in-Chief, Maximo Gomez, al- 
though born in Santo Domingo, was as much a 
Cuban in feelings, ideas, and aspirations as the 
best of them. As to his military talents we need 
say nothing, for they are too well known. 

Antonio Maceo, the Lieutenant-General, 
was a colored man ; a perfect gentleman, and a 
man of more than common attainments, which he 
owed to his own efforts. He was in the fullest 
sense of the term a self-made man of uncommon 
intellectual powers and of most sterling character. 
He fought during the ten years' war, and was 



414 CUBA. 

successively promoted for his bravery and remark- 
able military abilities from a common soldier to a 
Major-General. As a proof of the former he can 
show in his body twenty-one wounds by bullet and 
by sword, while in support of the latter he can 
refer to the many times that he has routed the 
Spanish troops, even under the command of Gen. 
Martinez Campos himself, and to the testimony 
of this latter and of Gen. Mella, who have been 
compelled to acknowledge the merit of Maceo as 
a tactician. 

Battle of Sao del Indio. 

Thus about this time came accounts of an 
important action which had taken place in August 
at a place known as Sao del Indio, half way 
between Santiago and Guantanamo. Colonel 
Canellas, with a force of 850 men, attacked the 
camp of Jose Maceo, where the latter had been 
stationed with about 2000 Insurgents for the past 
two months. Approaching the insurgent camp, 
Colonel Canellas sent forward a reconnoitering 
party of twenty-four cavalry. The centre was 
under the charge of the commanding officer — 
Captain Garrido, with 300 men, being detailed to 
attack the enemy's position — whilst the command 
of the rear o-uard was in the hands of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Segura. The reconnoitering party came 
suddenly on the insurgent outposts, and a well- 
directed volley from the rebels killed all the horses 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 415 

but one, and wounded six of the men. The party 
at once formed up on foot and opened a return 
fire, the main body of the troops meanwhile mov- 
ing up with all speed. 

After desultory firing for some time, a light 
field-gun was brought into action and threw 
twenty-four shells into the insurgent encampment, 
creating considerable confusion. Captain Garrido 
then moved forward and assaulted the positions 
held by the insurgents to the left and rear of the 
camp, and after severe resistance forced the 
rebels to retreat. While this was going on the 
insurgent cavalry made a detour and charged the 
Spanish rear-guard, approaching within twenty 
yards of the troops, but were driven back by the 
heavy musketry fire. Seeing the enemy dis- 
lodged from their positions to the left and rear of 
the camp. Colonel Canellas ordered the centre to 
fix bayonets and charge up to the camp. This 
was successfully carried, but an officer and several 
men were killed by the explosion of a mine before 
the camp was reached. The insurgents then re- 
treated, leaving thirty-six men dead on the field, 
whilst Colonel Canellas reported they carried 
away not less than eighty wounded. The losses 
on the Spanish side were severe. They were 
officially returned as one lieutenant and eleven 
men killed, and four captains, four lieutenants, 
and thirty-nine non-commissioned officers and 



4 1 6 CUBA. 

men wounded. Colonel Canellas was slightly 
wounded in the left foot, and had his horse killed 
under him, whilst his chief of staff also lost his 
horse. The artillery officer, Captain Gonzalez Go- 
mez, was severely wounded when changing the po- 
sition of his guns towards the close of the action, 
and he died from the effects of his wound. Lieu- 
tenant Ruiz, another of the wounded officers, 
suffered amputation of the right leg. 
Battle of Peralejo. 

Another important encounter was that of 
Yuraguanas, where the Spaniards were routed, 
leaving on the field seventy-seven dead and much 
arms, ammunition and baggage. After some 
other minor encounters the important battle of 
Peralejo was fought. The Spaniards were com- 
manded by General Campos himself and the 
Cubans by General Maceo. The former were 
utterly routed, losing over 400 men, among them 
one of their generals. Martinez Campos himself 
came very near falling into the hands of the 
Cubans. Next came the capture of Baire by the 
Cubans, afterwards the battle of Decanso del 
Muerto, the Spaniards suffering heavily and aban- 
doned their arms, ammunition and baggage. 

The accessions during August and Septem- 
ber to the army under Gomez in Camaguey and 
to that in Santa Clara, commanded by Rolofif, 
Sanchez and Rodriguez, encouraged General 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 417 

Gomez to plan an important movement toward 
the west. He announced that by Christmas he 
would be with his army near Matanzas and Ha- 
vana. At the same time he issued an order to 
all the planters of Santa Clara, Matanzas and 
Havana that they must not grind sugar-cane this 
year. General Martinez Campos replied that the 
sugar crop would certainly be harvested this year, 
and that he would see to it, promising that by 
December there would not be a single rebel left 
in Santa Clara province. 

A SpanisU Force 'Wiped Out. 
A terrible combat took place on December 
9th, at Minas, in Puerto Principe, between eighty 
Spanish troops, under Gruesa, and a party of 
rebels numbering 500 men commanded by Lopez 
Recio and Rodriguez. The struggle was a 
sanguinary one, the rebels using machetes with 
terrible effect. The superior force of the enemy 
rendered a victory for the troops impossible. Of 
the Spanish force twenty-three were killed, eight 
wounded, eighteen were taken prisoners and 
fourteen missing. Among the rebels killed were 
Oscar Primelles, Eugenio Recio and Angel Espi- 
nosa. Commandante Caballeros was wounded. 
After the combat Lopez Recio sent the mounted 
troops to the Senado plantation. On the day fol- 
lowing the fight the Spanish prisoners were set 
at liberty by their captors. 



^\ 



CHAPTER XVII. 



METHODS OF WARFARE THE DEADLY MACHETE 

A FEARFUL CHARGE SUGAR-GROWERS WARNED 

THE CENSORSHIP GOMEZ CALLS A HALT 

THE CUBAN FLAG SPANISH PURSUIT 

DEATH OF MARTI HORRORS OF THE GARROTE. 




|NE OF THE favoritb weapons of the 
Cubans is the machete. This is a cross 
between a knife and a sword. It is the 
shape of a knife, and the size of a sword, very- 
thick and heavy. In brief, it is the knife that is 
used for cutting sugar-cane ; an implement to the 
use of which all Cubans are accustomed, and 
which they employ in warfare with dreadful effect. 
A charge with machetes is more dreaded by the 
Spaniards than a bayonet charge. 

Xhe Deadly Macliete. 
A thrilling and realistic account of one of 
these charges is given by an American correspond- 
ent, who was an eye-witness of more than one 
such scene. 

A detachment of the San Quintin battalion, 
under Col. Constante, was moving along the road 
from Tejar to Moire. There were 400 men in 

(418} 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 419 

the column, and their weary, shuffling tramp 
raised a cloud of red dust, which a gentle breeze 
carried over the canefields. Sometimes the dust 
would rise high in the air like a huge red plume, 
if the breeze freshened ; but in the fitful calms it 
hung with the column, suffocating, blinding, sting- 
ing the weaned fellows, who had been on the 
march since early morning. 

The sun was near the meridian. It glanced 
out of a leaden sky upon the parched land, shed- 
ding the fierce heat of tropical noonday. No 
one spoke. With every man it was effort enough 
to keep moving and to watch for the thorns and 
sharp stones in the road, which might tear open 
the sores on his bare and bruised feet. 

No halt had been made for three hours. 
The canteens were drained of their last drops. 
Longing eyes were raised occasionally for some 
signs of a refreshing stream, but only to drop 
again to the heels of the man in front, watching 
the pace and catching the blinding cloud of dust 
they raised. 

Half a league ahead was a thicket of brush 
and stunted verdure. Except a few towering, 
solitary royal palms, brandishing their huge 
ostrich-like plumes as if in remonstrance to the 
withering south wind, this wooded strip through 
which the road ran for 200 meters was the first 
grateful shade that had fallen on their path. 



420 CUBA. 

Half an hour later the column halted within 
a few hundred meters of the woods. The 
advance guard approached it cautiously, appre- 
hending a possible ambush. Satisfied with the 
reconnoitre, the column advanced, and in a few 
moments the men were resting in the delicious 
shadows. Some dropped exhausted. Others 
sat and rubbed their aching feet. Canteens 
were again upturned for drops that possibly- 
remained. Few fell to talking, and then only of 
the weary leagues that remained before Moire 
should be reached, or of the absence of the rebels, 
for none had been seen all day, despite the rumor 
that Delgado's band of 500 had, the night before, 
gone out from Gomez into the direction of Tejar. 

"We are going into Moire empty-handed," 
said Lieut. Martinez. 

''And lucky to do that," grumbled Sergt. 
Guerra. "Ten leagues is a long day's march 
under such a sun as this." 

And when Martinez did not reply, he added: 
" It is hard enough on niggers, and if the men 
drag themselves there before midnight there 
won't be a blanket or kit left in the outfit. Some 
of those fellows were loosening their cartuchos 
(cartridge cases) until I caught them at it. Boys ! 
boys ! That's what they are sending here to fight 
these black devils — " 

"Listen." 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 42 1 

** Only gusts of wind. These palms are 
noisy in the dry season. When I was here in 
the long war we had men, not boys ; and even 
then the trees seemed to bear two Cubans to 
every one we killed. Nothing, nothing, only the 
wind — and we had battles then. Now it is only 
marches ; to Moire to-day, back to Tejar to-mor- 
row — empty-handed always ; but God knows 
Cuba's graves are not. A hundred Spaniards 
die in days like this who haven't shot a Mambi. 
These days are our Cuban battles, where we suf- 
fer all the losses. The Mambis never fatigue 
where they are at home. Why, I've seen — " 
A Fearful Cliarsfe. 

A tumult of voices drowned the rest. With 
the suddenness of lightning and with an uproar 
of a tornado the woods seemed to belch forth a 
mad, plunging, howling throng of horsemen, 
riding furiously upon the prostrate men. What 
orders were given were unheard. It was too 
late for preparation, and impulse alone led every 
man to throw himself upon the ground and begin 
firing against the advancing force. But it was 
too late. 

" Machete! Machete ! Machete!" shrieked, as 
if with the voices of a thousand hyenas, drowned 
almost the crack of the rifles as the overwhelm- 
ing and resistless band dashed onward, firing not 
a shot, but every rider whirled the terrible 
24 



42 2 CUBA. 

machete with a skill which only a Cuban, its 
master, can exhibit. 

In one instant all was over. They had ridden 
on to the Spanish line, broken it and gone over it. 
And as quickly as they had come they were away, 
still screaming with the voices of Indians : 

''Machete!" 

The enormous sword-like knives had done 
their work. The dead and wounded lay every- 
where. Bodies had been cleft in twain. Some 
had lost arms, some legs, some were pierced 
through. A few had been trampled to death by 
the horses. When the cries of " Machete ! " 
ceased, it seemed as if the silence of the dead 
had settled over the scene as suddenly as de- 
struction had fallen. 

Then, from the direction the Mambis had 
taken, came scattering shots. It was evident 
they had made a stand, and the Spanish line 
which had been formed out of the wreck prepared 
to charge upon them. The firing quickened as 
the Spanish moved, but hardly ten paces had been 
taken when upon their back came another band 
of horsemen and the trap was sprung. 

Voices giving command were drowned in the 
panic that followed. The sounds that filled the 
air were the horrifying, blood-curdling choruses 
of *' Machete!" the thunder of hoofs and the 
cracking of Spanish rifles. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 423 

But again the line was cut through, and a 
Spanish square was broken. Then, fleeing as 
rapidly as they had come, the Mambis swarmed 
onward in the direction the first band had taken. 

There was no effort made to follow them. 
Squares were formed again, and, for what seemed 
to them an eternity, the men who were left waited 
for the expected attack. But the time had come 
when more blood would have to be shed than 
Cubans ever count on losing in a battle and the 
attack never came. 

Hours after, when the burying of the dead 
was finished, the remnant of the San Quintin bat- 
talion moved again toward Moire — not empty- 
handed. There was one Mambi with the score 
of Spanish who were carried into the city. 
Sugfar-Oro^wers 'Warned. 

The following is a copy of an order Issued 
from the headquarters of a portion of the insur- 
ofent forces in Santa Clara and Matanzas : 

LIBERATING ARMY OF CUBA. 

Fifth Corps of the Army, First Brigade, 
In accordance with orders of the Provisional 
Government, and to the end that no one may 
allege ignorance, I hereby make known to the 
sugar manufacturers, cane planters (colonos) and 
proprietors of the zone under my command : 

First — The buildings and cane fields of all 
plantations will be considered and respected pro- 



424 CUBA. 

vided no work Is given to any able-bodied laborer, 
nor the operations of grinding begun. 

Second — When there are no fortifications 
nor forces located In the same for their pro- 
tection. 

Third — A term of ten days is hereby granted 
for the suspension of all work, the destruction of 
the fortifications and the withdrawal of troops. 

Fourth — -Those who contravene this order 
will be severely punished and their buildings and 
cane fields reduced to ashes. 

Francisco J. Perez, Chief of Brigade. 
Headquarters of Operations, Nov. 8, 1895. 
Tlie Censorship. 

The government began exercising the strict- 
est censorship over all dispatches to and from 
Cuba. Nothing unfavorable to the government 
was permitted to pass. No cipher messages 
were sent, unless the key to them was given to 
the government. Accordingly the early history 
of the Revolution Is as yet shrouded, to a certain 
extent. In myster}^, owing to these efforts to 
suppress the news. Both in America and 
Europe official dispatches, or those passed by the 
censorship, would arrive from Havana, announc- 
ing great Spanish victories. At the same time, 
or soon after, there would come other messages 
smuggled through by Cuban patriots, referring 
to the same engagements, but declaring them to 




mm- 
HP 





FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 427 

have been victories for the patriots. Neverthe- 
less, though definite news from the island itself 
seemed impossible to obtain, the fact that filibust- 
ering expeditions were being constantly organ- 
ized in South America, in the West Indies, and 
in the United States, was well understood and 
appreciated by those interested in Cuba's struggle 
for freedom. 

Gomez Calls a Halt. 

After destroying about one-third of the cane 
in the field and causing most of the planters to 
stop grinding, Gomez issued the following procla- 
mation : 

General Headquarters of the Liberating Army 
of Cuba, sugar estate, '' Mirosa,'' January lo, 
i8g6: 

In consideration that the crop has been sus- 
pended in the western districts, and, whereas, it 
is not necessary that the burning of the cane fields 
should continue, I dispose the following : 

Article i. The burning of the cane fields is 
now prohibited. 

Article 2. Those that contravene this dis- 
position, whatsoever be their category or rank in 
the army, will be treated with the utmost severity 
of military discipline in behalf of the moral order 
of the Revolution. 

Article 3. The buildings and machinery of 
the sugar estates will be destroyed, if in spite of 



428 CUBA. 

this disposition they should intend to renew their 
works. 

Article 4. The pacific inhabitants of the 
island of Cuba, whatsoever be their nationality, 
will be respected, and agricultural laborers will 
not be interfered with. 

The General-in-Chief, M. Gomez. 
Xlie Cuban Flag:. 

In San Cristobal the Spanish flag on the 
government building was replaced by the emblem 
of the new republic ; a Mayor and city officials 
were appointed, resolutions were adopted by the 
new authorities, and, after all the arms in the 
town had been collected and forty or fifty mounted 
recruits had been made, Maceo remained a day 
to rest his men and horses, and moved on the 
following morning at daybreak toward Palacios, 
just north of which lies Banos de San Diego. He 
took both these places, and the same scenes 
were repeated, the people decorating their houses 
and flying white flags from every roof as a token 
of their allegiance to the cause. 

By this time the Spanish saw the trend of 
Maceo's plans, and Generals Nevarro and Luque 
were ordered to pursue the insurgent army, rein- 
forcements at the same time being ordered to 
Pinar del Rio city. The garrison at Guanajay 
was strengthened, and an additional force was 
dispatched from Havana to proceed on a steamer 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 429 

along the south coast to Columna, to reach Pinar 
del Rio, if possible, before Maceo had arrived. 
Spanisli Pursuit. 

Nevarro made all haste, but was not out of 
sight of Guanajay, where he had left the terminus 
Df the railroad, before he came upon burning 
cane fields, whose owners had disobeyed Gomez's 
proclamation against grinding. Nevarro and 
Luque had together 5000 infantry, 200 cavalry 
and eleven pieces of artillery. They found that 
the cattle had been gathered up by the insurgents 
or hidden by their owners, but, learning that 
Maceo was at least two days' march ahead, they 
were able to move with freedom, and by forced 
marches came to the San Juan del Rio sugar es- 
tate, where the next day General Nevarro met 
General Arizon's command, which had encoun- 
tered Maceo's rear guard the previous day. Ari- 
zon had lost, as nearly as can be learned, five 
men, and had several wounded, and was waiting 
there to join Nevarro's division. 

Gen. Nevarro had sent a detachment after 
the smaller body of insurgents moving on the 
north, but further than a few encounters with 
some small bands, which may have been either 
skirmish lines or independent companies of 
insurgents, their pursuit was fruitless, and they 
arrived at Cabanas, on the north coast, the day 
after the insurgents had taken the place, dis- 



430 CUBA. 

armed the volunteer garrison, secured 11,000 
rounds of ammunition and retired with the loss of 
two men. This loss is confirmed by the Spanish 
official reports. 

Dcatli of Marti. 

The death of Jose Marti, who was killed in 
battle, was a sad blow to the patriots. But in- 
stead of discouraging them it inspired them to 
greater efforts against the foe. The Spaniards 
captured his body, and paraded it about in tri- 
umph, after robbing it of all valuables. 

Not only did the men of Cuba take up arms 
against their oppressors, but many women did 
the same. One of the most noted of these was 
Senorita Matilde Agramonte, of Havana, who, 
after marching and fighting with Maceo's soldiers, 
fell dead at last riddled with Spanish bullets. 

Matilde was the last representative of one 
of the most widely known of old stock Cuban 
families. Her ancestors were among the first 
Spanish settlers of the island. In every insur- 
rection that has occurred on the island men of 
the Agramonte and Variona families have been 
found in the field. The wealth of the family has 
been counted by milHons. 

Horrors of tlie Garrote. 

Prisoners put to death were sometimes shot 
and sometimes strangled with the garrote. Here 
is a truthful account of the manner in which five 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 43 1 

men were thus disposed of on March 31st, 1896, 
at Havana: 

Troops were drawn up in hollow square and 
in the middle were placed the chair and post. 
Ruiz, the public executioner, had deputized an 
assistant to conduct the affair. The condemned 
men having received the offices of the church 
were brought into the square to meet their fate. 
One of them had confessed his guilt and affirmed 
the innocence of all the others, who also protested 
that they were guiltless. The first man to die 
took his seat in the chair calmly ; the iron collar was 
fixed about his neck and the cap drawn over his 
face. Then the executioner undertook to apply 
the screw, but was so excited that his hand slipped 
repeatedly, with the result that the victim died by 
slow strangulation, emitting the while the most 
distressing cries. The second execution was ac- 
complished with even more distressing awkward- 
ness and delay, the executioner being almost on 
the verge of collapse as he performed his horrible 
function. 

The protests of the officers and priests 
forced Ruiz to undertake the third execution, 
but he did little better than his assistant had 
done. The fourth victim of bungling garroters was 
likewise tortured, and then Ruiz literally fled 
from his post, leaving his assistants to put to 
death the fifth of the unfortunate Cubans, who 



432 CUBA. 

escaped none of the torture experienced by the 
four other men. 

The whole affair has left upon those who 
witnessed it and upon those to whom it has been 
described, a feeling of the utmost horror. 

When the acting executioner first twisted the 
lever controlling the garrote he was terribly 
nervous and this rendered him so weak that his 
hands slipped repeatedly. There were horrible 
smothering, choking cries from the scaffold, and 
only after a long agony for the condemned man 
and almost torture for the spectators the Cuban 
was pronounced dead. The executioners, priests, 
soldiers and prison officials present turned their 
heads away in horror and became deadly pale 
as the stifled sounds came from the sufferer. 
The terrible performance was repeated with the 
second victim who, until reaching the platform, 
made an effort to say something to the people 
surrounding him, but the executioner's hand 
was placed over his mouth, he was hastily 
bundled into the deadly chair, and in another 
moment the iron collar was around his neck, 
the cap was over his face and the first turns of 
the lever had been given. The result was slow, 
fearful strangulation and another horrible ex- 
perience for the spectators. 

By this time all those present had endured 
so much that they openly denounced the execu- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 433 

tioner and called upon him to get down from the 
scaffold and let another man take his place. 
Thereupon the acting executioner feverishly 
called upon the executioner-in-chief, Valentin 
Ruiz, who is looked upon as an expert, to come 
and help him. Ruiz had little better success in 
sending the third and fourth Cubans out of the 
world. There was renewed murmuring at the 
official incapacity, and Ruiz stumbled away from 
the death-post that his assistant might finish the 
day's work. The assistant executioner again 
tried his hand and was as unlucky as before, for 
there was another scene of horror which caused 
strong men to faint before the fifth Cuban's life 
was pronounced extinct. Then the bodies were 
carted away. The executioners gathered up their 
frame and its accoutrements ; the priests, prison 
and other officials hurried away ; the troops were 
marched back to their quarters, and another 
chapter had been added to the black history of 
Cuba. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 



AID AND COMFORT FROM ABROAD A CANADIAN EX- 
PEDITION THE ''HORSa" affair THE ARREST 

OF CAPTAIN WIBORG FILIBUSTERS WRECKED 

OVER GOES THE AMMUNITION THE " BERMUDA " 

AFFAIR A TRAITOR IN THE CAMP THE ARREST 

PRISONERS PLACED UNDER GUARD IN CUBA 

AT LAST. 



^' 



HE sympathy felt by the majority of 
Americans with the Cuban patriots was 
definitely expressed by the people of 
New Haven, who dispatched three shiploads of 
arms and supplies for Cuba. 

The aid thus furnished was received in safety 
and it proved of the greatest material aid in 
influencing the course of the war. Enough arms 
were sent to equip half a dozen regiments, and 
ammunition enough was provided for a couple of 
engagements. 

It was stated that certain prominent citizens 
of New Haven had sent the supplies to Cuba, and 
that they believed they were obeying the highest 
laws of justice and liberty in so doing. They 

(434) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 437 

Stated, furthermore, that so convinced were they 
of the righteousness of their cause that they 
would continue to aid the cause till the indepen- 
dence of the island was recognized or lost. The 
specific names of the aiders of the belligerents 
were not given to the government, but the 
assertion was given that only the highest motives 
controlled the sympathizers in their expression of 
sympathy. 

A Canadian Hxpedition. 

One filibustering expedition in the interest 
of the Cuban insurgents, under the command of 
Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada, landed 
on the eastern coast of Cuba. The leader is a 
nephew of General Rafael y Quesada, of Vene- 
zuela, and a son of the great Cuban patriot who 
fought his last fight and died gloriously at Yara 
in 1873, ^^^ ^s ^^^^ secretary of the Cuban 
Revolutionary party in America. He is a 
slender, boyish-looking youth, but of unques- 
tioned bravery. With him when he landed were 
107 men. He also succeeded in carrying into 
the country 500 Winchester rifles, 400,000 rounds 
of ammunition, ten cases of material, 250 
machetes and a large supply of medicines and 
food. 

The expedition was fitted out in Canada and 
sailed from there. The reason for going to 
Canada was embodied in the fact that the 



438 CUBA. 

neutrality laws of the United States were such 
that the filibusters did not care to strain them. 

As Canada had never expressed any sym- 
pathy for the Cuban cause, it was thought safe to 
go over there and organize the expedition. The 
wisdom of this was manifest in the result. It 
never was disturbed in any manner, and a safe 
clearing was made by the vessel. 

The "Horsa" Affair. 

One reason the Cespedes expedition was 
sent from Canada instead of the United States, 
besides the reasons already given, was that me- 
moirs of a most unfortunate expedition impelled 
the Cubans to even more than ordinary caution. 

These unpleasant memories concerned the 
" Horsa," a Danish fruit-steamer, which sailed 
from Philadelphia November nth. On board 
were forty insurgents, twenty of whom embarked 
in New York on the night of Saturday, Novem- 
ber 9th. They had attended with others a mass- 
meeting in that city which was held in the interest 
of the Cuban insurgents, and when this adjourned 
the men went to the wharf, where they were 
taken on board a tug which was awaiting their 
arrival. The utmost secrecy was observed, and 
every effort was made to elude the vigilance of 
the Federal authorities. The tug had no lights 
burning, and a sheet of white canvas was pasted 
over her name. Shortly after midnight the tug 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM 439 

dropped down the stream and carried her crew 
of passengers to a point off Cape Barnegat, 
where they were taken on board the " Horsa," 
which awaited them at that place. 

The ''Horsa" had carried an equal number 
of insurgents, who had gone aboard at Philadel- 
phia. These forty, it is asserted, represented the 
full strength of the expedition. The "Horsa" 
cleared from Philadelphia for Port Antonio, Ja- 
maica. Upon her arrival in Cuban waters she 
attempted to land the members of the expedition 
upon the eastern coast of the island. It was 
attempted to put the filibusters ashore in two 
boats. At the moment that these pulled away 
from the "Horsa" a Spanish gunboat hove in 
sight, whereupon the "Horsa" immediately 
steamed away in the direction of Jamaica with 
the remainder of the expedition on board. 

When she arrived at Philadelphia, November 
27th, after her filibustering trip, she was detained 
pending the formulation in Washington of charges 
of violation of neutrality laws. The following day, 
November 28th, Captain Wiborg, of the " Horsa;" 
his chief mate, Jens P. Pedersen, and his second 
mate, H. Johansen, were arrested on a warrant 
issued by United States Commissioner Bell, 
charging violation of the neutrality laws under 
Section 5,286 of the Revised Statutes. Bail in 
the sum of $1,500 was given for each of them 



440 CUBA. 

for their appearance at a hearing on the following 
morning. 

Xbe Arrest of Captain "Wiborg:. 

When Deputy Marshal Myers went to make 
the arrests, Captain Wiborg asked if the warrant 
was signed by the Danish Consul, and on being 
told that it was not, he ordered the Danish flag 
hoisted on the '' Horsa." Deputy Myers told the 
captain that he would take him dead or alive, and 
the latter submitted to arrest under protest, 
claiming that his ship was Danish soil. The 
captain announced his intentions of bringing a 
countersuit for damages against the Spanish 
Consul. 

No action was taken against the steamer. 
United States Attorney Ingham stating that the 
circumstances were not such as to warrant any 
action. 

Filitiusters "Wrecked. 

On January 28th there was an abundance of 
bad news for Cuban sympathizers and patriots in 
New York, for on that date the following account 
of the sad fate of an expedition under General 
Calixto Garcia appeared : 

''The old menhaden fishing steamboat, 'J. 
W. Hawkins,' which had been chartered for the 
expedition, although she was not fit to put to sea, 
went to the bottom miles off the New Jersey 
coast, at noon on Monday, and arms and ammu- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 44 T 

nition which had involved an outlay of over ^200,- 
000 were lost. 

''It was interesting news to many thousands 
of people in New York that such a filibustering 
expedition could get away from that port in defi- 
ance of the neutrality and revenue laws, and that 
no information of the fact had been obtained by 
the authorities until the piratical craft, rotten and 
unseaworthy as she was, had been wrecked. 
The information caused a stir in Washington, and 
there was an investigation. Many of the filibus- 
ters returned to New York and scattered to their 
hiding places. General Garcia and his son, bear- 
ing two satchels of greenbacks, were among them. 

"Reports that the 'J. W. Hawkins' had been 
hired for such an expedition had been in circula- 
tion for a few days, but few persons dreamed that 
there was such a wide-spread secret organization 
of the Cuban revolutionists here as to furnish 
arms and ammunition costing nearly ^250,000, 
and men enough to man the old tub that was to 
carry them to Cuba. It was not until the tug- 
boat 'Fred B. Dalzell' brought back to the city 
seventy of the 120 filibusters who had been 
wrecked that the information of the expedition 
could be obtained. The ' Dalzell ' had sighted 
and exchanged signals with the schooner 
'LeanderV. Beebe,' Captain W. M. Howes, of 
Boston, and shortly thereafter took from the 

25 



442 CUBA. 

schooner the seventy bedraggled and tempest- 
tossed filibusters." 

The "J. W. Hawkins" was chartered to 
carry the revolutionists to Cuba, and a large sum 
of money had been promised to the owners and 
crew of the boat if the filibusters were carried 
safely to their destination. A large number of 
Cubans in New York city had enlisted for the 
expedition, which was intended to join forces 
with General Gomez, and there had been several 
gatherings of the men in the secret to make sure 
that they would not betray the leaders. The 
''J. W. Hawkins " was .fitted up for the expedi- 
tion in a great hurry. She was commanded by 
Captain Hall, and the first mate was C. H. 
Crowell. There was a crew of about seventy-five 
men. 

The arms on the boat consisted of two 
Hotchkiss rapid-firing guns, 1,200 Remington 
and Winchester rifles and some revolvers. 

There was plenty of ammunition for the 
Hotchkiss guns, and 1,000,000 cartridges for the 
rifles. General Garcia also had taken along 
3,000 pounds of dynamite and materials for 
making heavy explosives. A supply of good 
whiskey to cheer the volunteers on the way to 
Cuba had not been forgotten, and the boat had a 
good quantity of rations for the trip. The old 
steamboat had a snub nose, and her engines were 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 443 

not powerful enough to drive her through the 
water with great rapidity. It was necessary also 
to proceed with some caution until she was at 
sea, and she lay to for a while on Sunday at some 
point on the Long Island shore. 

Over Ooes tlie Ammunitioii. 

General Garcia was in despair. What was 
the use of going to Cuba without the Hotchkiss 
guns, the rifles and the ammunition ? Captain 
Hall said it was better to save their lives than to 
sink with the arms and ammunition, and over- 
board immediately went the guns and cartridges 
and the dynamite that cost the revolutionists 
over $200,000. When everything had been cast 
overboard, however, the water was still running 
into the boat at a frightful rate, and the sea was 
fairly boiling about the ill-fated craft. Some of 
the filibusters were almost crazy with fright, 
while others were so weak and prostrated with 
sickness that they did not much care whether 
they lived or died. 

Daylight found them in a most pitiable con- 
dition. Captain Hall had sent up rockets, but 
there was no answering signal. It was still early 
in the morning when the engine-room got so full 
of water that the fires went out and the steam- 
boat lost headway with the stopping of the 
engines. Then the boat drifted at the mercy of 
the waves. 



444 CUBA. 

At a time when the revolutionists and the 
crew had about abandoned hope, there came a 
signal from a schooner which sailed into sight. 
Then another schooner, and still a third came 
into view. 

Xlie <* Bermuda'' Affair. 

Although the Government made no arrests 
in connection with the '' Hawkins " expedition, 
their watchfulness was redoubled and on the 
night of February 24, by the detention of the 
British steamship " Bermuda," the arrest of Gen 
eral Calixto Garcia and a large filibustering expe- 
dition, and the capture of thousands of dollars' 
worth of munitions of war, the United States 
authorities dealt a severe blow to the cause of 
Cuban independence. 

The ''Bermuda," after being thoroughly 
overhauled on a drydock, was floated and 
anchored off Liberty Island the previous Satur- 
day. Her mission was succor for Cuba. Com- 
plete, and it was thought perfectly secret, 
arrangements had been made for the successful 
sailing of the expedition. The " Bermuda" had 
cleared for a Colombian port, and it had been 
arranged for General Garcia and his followers to 
come aboard late on Monday night. Steam was 
kept up and the anchors hove short, so that when 
the much-needed arms and ammunition had been 
placed aboard, the ship could quietly steam out 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 445 

of the harbor and no one be the wiser. But the 
Cubans had reckoned without taking into consid- 
eration the vigilance of the Spanish authorities 
and the lynx-eyed watchfulness of the horde of 
detectives in their employ, who, fully aware of 
the movements of the filibusters, were only 
patiently waiting the opportune moment to block 
their game. 

A Traitor in tlie Camp. 

The Cubans passionately declared there was 
a traitor in their camp, but shrewd shipping men 
said the intended expedition was a foolhardy one. 
The Spanish authorities were kept informed of 
their movements, and when the affair was ripe 
the Spanish Minister called upon the United 
States authorities to prevent the expedition, and 
in consequence the filibusters were seized, bag 
and baggage. 

The Cubans thought they had observed 
greater secrecy about this expedition than any 
organized during the Revolution, and believed 
their plans could not fail. Nevertheless, the 
^'Bermuda" had been closely watched by the Span- 
ish spies for several weeks. The captain of the 
vessel obtained clearance papers for Santa Marta, 
Colombia, on Saturday, and according to the plans 
of the Cubans the steamlighter ''J. S. T. Strana- 
han" would leave the foot of King Street, Brooklyn, 
shortly before midnight with the arms and ammu- 



'44^ CUBA. 

nitlon, and the tugs " McCaldIn Brothers" and 
" W. J. McCaldin" would bring- out the men. 
Xlie Arrest. 

When it was evident that everything was in 
readiness, Marshal McCarthy then boarded the 
" Bermuda" and placed the captain under arrest, 
and removed the piston-rod, thus disconnecting 
the machinery. It was at first intended to place 
the prisoners on Governor's Island, but this plan 
was abandoned, and, after a consultation with the 
United States District-Attorney, it was decided 
only to hold the leaders of the proposed expedi- 
tion. The " Stranahan" was the only tug held. 
Two deputy-marshals were put in charge of the 
" Bermuda," and the crew returned to their vessel. 
The vessel was detained. 

The saddest blow to the Cubans was the 
capture of General Calixto Garcia, who was to 
have led the expedition. General Garcia was 
also the leader of the ill-fated " Hawkins " expe- 
dition. 

Had it not been for the interference of Mar- 
shal McCarthy and his men General Garcia would 
have started with the finest expedition that has as 
yet been fitted out to aid the patriots in their 
fight for liberty. 

Besides the prisoners and the boats captured 
the Marshal and his men also got all of the am- 
munition and firearms that were about to be 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 447 

transferred from a tugboat to the " Bermuda." 
Altoorether the work of the United States officers 
was as complete as possible. 

Prisoners Placed Uncler Ouard. 

Sixty-nine of the prisoners captured were 
brought to the Federal building and placed in a 
room under guard. They were a fine-looking 
lot of men, most of them ranging between the 
ages of twenty and thirty years. They were all 
well dressed, and a Cuban who had called to see 
one of the number stated that most of those 
arrested were representatives of the best families 
in Cuba. All of the prisoners wore gray slouch 
hats. 

Besides the sixty-nine men in the Federal 
building the Marshal and his men also had sixty 
others in custody and thirty-two men who 
composed the crew of the ''Bermuda." 

All of the filibusters captured were arraigned 
before Commissioner Shields. The Commissioner, 
acting under instructions from Washington, at 
once released all the prisoners, with the exception 
of General Garcia, Captain Samuel Hughes, for- 
merly in command of the " Laurada ; " Benjamin 
Guerra, treasurer of the *' Junta ; " Captain Bra- 
bazon, of the ''Bermuda," and J. D. Hart. 

The " Bermuda" was not seized by the Fed- 
eral authorities, as was at first thought. She was 
technically known as ''detained," and the men 



44^ CUBA. 

were arrested under Section 5286 of the Federal 
Revised Statutes, commonly known as the " Neu- 
trahty Law," which Congress passed in 1880. 
This section reads : 

*' Every person who, within the territory or 
jurisdiction of the United States, begins or sets 
on foot or provides or prepares the means for 
any mihtary expedition or enterprise to be carried 
on from thence against the territory or dominions 
of any foreign province or State, or of any colony, 
district or people with whom the United States 
are at peace, shall be deemed guilty of a high 
misdemeanor, and shall be fined not exceeding 
$3000 and imprisoned not more than three 
years." 

In Cuba at I^ast. 

The Cubans were not thus to be baffled, 
however. It was against the law to send out an 
armed expedition. But there was no law against 
the arms and the men being forwarded separately 
on different ships. Accordingly this was done. 
On March 1 5th the ''Bermuda" sailed away openly, 
with her cargo of arms and ammunition, but no 
men save her own crew. General Garcia and his 
men quietly went out of town by train to a point 
on the New Jersey coast. There a vessel took 
them out to intercept the ''Bermuda." They got 
aboard the latter, and despite the vigilance of the 
Spanish cruisers, effected a safe landing in Cuba. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



THE NEWS IN CUBA THE NEW COMMANDER 

WEYLER's arrival FIRST WORDS TO CUBA 

NO NEUTRALITY NON-COMBATANTS MENACED 

CALL FOR SURRENDER TO END THE WAR IN 

THIRTY DAYS THE TELEGRAPH LINES WEY- 

LER's proclamations MUST PRAISE SPAIN 

PASSPORTS AND CREDENTIALS STORES TO BE 

SEIZED FATE OF PRISONERS MORE TROOPS FOR 

WEYLER THE MASSACRE OF GUATAO PRIS- 
ONERS KILLED VERY NEAR HAVANA THE 

TOWNS DESERTED WEYLER CALLS A HALT 

POWERS OF LIFE AND DEATH MORE PROCLAM- 
ATIONS FOR EXTERMINATION FIFTEEN DAYS' 

GRACE THREATS OFFER OF AMNESTY TO RE- 
PORT ON THE SUSPECTS. 



(f 



HE NEWS that the Spanish Government 
had decided to withdraw General Campos 
from Cuba was announced in a telegram 
from Madrid, on January 17th, 1896. It said: 

'* Independently of the military action, the Gov- 
ernment has authorized Marshal Campos to re- 
sign his command to General Marin and return 
to Spain, in consequence of the conduct of the 
political parties of Cuba, contrary to the policy of 
the Commander-in-Chief, asking a change in the 
system of conducting the war." 

(449) 



450 



CUBA. 



This news aroused much Interest both In 
this country and in Cuba. At Havana a meeting 
of generals was immediately held at the palace of 
the Captain-General, at which Marshal Campos 
announced that he had telegraphed to the govern- 
ment at Madrid stating the result of his con- 
ference with the leaders of the political parties, 
and signifying his Intention to abide loyally by 
any decision the Cabinet might make in the matter. 
To this dispatch, he said, he had received a reply 
advising him. In view of the conditions existing, to 
turn over the civil and military government of 
the island to Generals Marin and Pando. This 
he had done so far as was possible. General 
Pando being in Santiago de Cuba. General 
Marin had taken over the government tempo- 
rarily, and his responsiblHty would be shared by 
General Pando shortly. 

Xlie News in Cuba. 

The news that Marshal Campos had 
practically been relieved of his command caused 
little excitement in the city. The matter was 
discussed In the cafes, restaurants and hotel 
lobbies, where people gather at night, but there 
were no signs of alarm displayed. There were 
many Spaniards who believed that General Cam- 
pos had been altogether too lenient in his treat- 
ment of the rebels, and they clamored for a more 
vigorous policy. The men who were to have 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 45 I 

temporary charge of the civil and military 
branches of the Government were known to 
believe in policy that would give no mercy to 
those who w^ere in arms against the King, and it 
was expected that vigorous measures would be 
taken to suppress the insurrection. 

Xlie Ne^w Commander. 
The successor of General Campos chosen by 
the Spanish Government was General Weyler, 
who had been known in the Ten Years' War as 
''Valmaceda's assistant butcher." He had a rep- 
utation for the utmost cruelty and ferocity, and 
his appointment was interpreted as meaning that 
a reiofn of terror would forthwith be established 
in Cuba. ''Most men," says Mr. Rappleye, a 
newspaper correspondent who met him in Havana, 
'' resemble their reputations, and if a life famously 
spent is in the mind of one who visits a character 
of world-wide repute, he quite naturally discovers 
peculiarities of facial expression and physique 
which appear to account for the individuality of 
the man — fighter, philosopher, criminal, reformer 
or whatever he may be. All this is true of Gen. 
Weyler. He is one of those men who create a 
first impression, the first sight of whom never can 
be effaced from the mind, by whose presence the 
most careless observer is impressed instantly, and 
yet, taken altogether, he is a man in whom the 
elements of greatness are concealed under a 



452 CUBA. 

cloak of Impenetrable obscurity. Inferior phys- 
ically, unsoldierly in bearing, exhibiting no trace 
of refined sensibilities nor pleasure in the gentle 
associations that others live for, or at least seek as 
diversions, he is nevertheless the embodiment of 
mental acuteness, crafty, unscrupulous, fearless 
and of indomitable perseverance. 
"Weyler's Arrival. 

Weyler arrived at Havana on February lo, 
1896. The Spanish cruiser Alfonso XIII. arrived 
off Morro Castle at 9 that morning, and at 10 
entered the harbor. She was saluted by the 
Morro guns, and by thunders of artillery from 
the Cabanas fortress, and the flags of the ships 
in the harbor dipped a welcome. With the new 
Captain-General came Gens. Barges, Arolas and 
the Marquis de Ahumada, who had been des- 
ignated second in command. When Weyler 
disembarked about noon, the civil and military 
officials escorted him to the palace through streets 
lined with people and the city was decorated with 
flags, flowers and red blankets. 

Gen. Weyler went on foot to the palace. 
He took the oath of office, and then he received 
the leading citizens, some grandees of Spain, 
heads of commercial bodies, leaders of political 
parties and the foreign consuls. The Plaza de 
Armas, near the palace, was packed with men, 
women and children, who shouted, while bands of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 453 

music played. The weather was delightful and 
the populace delighted — apparently. It is a great 
day — for Weyler. 

The prospect for the new commander-in-chief 
of the Spanish army in Cuba fulfilling the destiny 
which had been manufactured for him in Spain 
was, however, worse than at any time since the 
war for independence began. The fiasco of the 
Captain-General pro tem, in his ten days' expedi- 
tion undertaken with the avowed object of run- 
ning down Gomez was complete and abject. 
Gen. Marin got back to Havana the day before 
Weyler landed. His little campaign had been a 
complete failure. It had, Indeed, been marked 
by more disasters than the Spanish army had 
suffered during an equal number of days since 
the war began. 

First ^Words to Cuba. 

On landing Weyler made a brief address to 
the soldiers about him, saying significantly, "You 
know me, and my record. Well, I propose to live 
up to my record." The next day he issued a 
formal address to the Spanish army in Cuba, in 
which he said the followine: 

*'The addresses which I made, at the 
moment of my disembarking, to the volunteers 
and men of the army and navy, will give you 
an Idea of the spirit and policy animating your 
Governor-General, and similarly the direction of 



454 CUBA. 

general opinion in Spain favoring the bringing of 
all necessary means to bear upon the suppression 
of the insurrection. Knowing these and knowing 
my character, I would add nothing else to recom- 
mend the line of conduct which you may follow. 

" But I think it convenient to add some 
instructions at present, and to state that the in- 
surrection and the recent march of the principal 
leaders thereof without its being possible for the 
Spanish columns to prevent it, indicates indiffer- 
ence on the part of the inhabitants and also fear 
and discouragement. I cannot understand their 
inactivity while their property is being destroyed. 
Spaniards cannot sympathize with insurgents. 
It is necessary, at any cost, to oppose this state 
of things and reanimate the spirit of the inhabi- 
tants. 

No Neutrality. 

*'I have come disposed to help all loyal citizens. 
I am at the same time disposed to make use of 
all the rigor of the law against those who in any 
form help the enemy, speak well of them or dis- 
credit the prestige of Spain, of its army or vol- 
unteers. All who are with our side must demon- 
strate the fact with acts, and leave in their attitude 
no place for doubt in proving that they are 
Spaniards. Because the defense of the country 
demands sacrifices, it is necessary that towns 
should establish their own defenses. They 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. J 55 

should not fail to provide guides for the army, 
and to give news of the enemy when they are in 
the vicinity. 

'■ The case should not be repeated that the 
enemy be better informed than ourselves. The 
enemy and the vigor which they employ should 
serve as an example to show us the line of con- 
duct which we must follow in all circumstances. 
Non-Combalants Menaced. 

'' You will detain and put at my disposal, or 
submit to the tribunals, those who, in any way 
I have described, show help or sympathy for the 
rebels, I promise myself that you, by fulfilling 
these instructions, will give valuable help to the 
good of the Spanish cause." 

Call for Surrender, 

In the proclamation to the inhabitants of 
Cuba Gen. Weyler said: 

'T take charge with the confidence which 
never abandons the cause of preserving the 
island for Spain. I shall be always generous 
with those who surrender, but will have the de- 
cision and energy to punish rigorously those who 
in any way help the enemy. 

"Without having in mind any political mis- 
sion, I would not oppose the government of his 
Majesty when in its wisdom, having peace in 
Cuba, it should think it convenient to give 
this country reforms with the same spirit of 



45 6 CUBA. 

love in which a mother gives all things to her 
children. 

" Inhabitants of the island of Cuba, lend 
me your help. So you will defend your interests, 
which are the interests of the country." 

To Bnd tlie ^War in Xliirty Days. 

General Weyler announced, and perhaps ex- 
pected, that he would end the war in thirty days. 
On February 15, he told a delegation of sugar- 
planters who called upon him that by March 15 
he would have order and peace restored, so that 
the planters could begin grinding cane in safety. 
If successful, thirty days' grinding would be pos- 
sible, and with the improved machinery generally 
in use all the cane standing could be saved. As 
the rebels had burned 20 per cent, of the crop, 
General Weyler s promise was practically that 
J45, 000,000 worth of sugar was to be saved, and 
that prosperity was to return to Cuba at the end 
of one more month. 

Gomez and Maceo meantime announced 
their intention of remaining in the vicinity of 
Havana all summer. The wet season had no 
terrors for them. The other provinces outside of 
Havana were entirely under control, and the new 
government was established everywhere except 
in the few cities held by the Spanish. The seat 
of operations naturally was near Havana, and the 
insurgent forces were so near the city that one 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 457 

morning a detachment of twenty took a position 
on the main road leading into Havana from the 
west, only three miles from the city, and held up 
the milkmen coming in. They were carrying 
''food and comfort to the Spanish," as the insur- 
gent leader expressed it as he dumped the cargoes 
into the ditch. The victims were perhaps for- 
tunate to escape with their lives, as the penalty 
for supplying food to a town held by the Spanish 
was the destruction of the farmer's property, or, 
if he had had several warnings previously, he was 
likely to be shot. 

The significance of this occurrence was that 
it was only three miles from Havana. General 
Weyler's thirty days' war, therefore would have 
to begin close to the gates of the city and com- 
prise the subjugation of the island in that time. 
The Telegrrapli I<iues. 

Every telegraph line between Havana and 
the rest of the island was cut off on February 
14th. A line to Rincon, ten miles out, was the 
extent of communication with the rest of Cuba. 
The rebels controlled absolutely the telegraph 
lines of the whole island, and all efforts of the 
Spanish to preserve communication with the in- 
terior were unavailing. 

"Weyler's Proclamations. 

Instead of going out to fight, General Weyler 
began issuing proclamations. On February i6th 
26 



453 



CUBA. 



he published three of them. The first defined 
the offenders who were made subject to mlHtary 
jurisdiction and trial by court martial as follows : 

First — Those who invent or circulate by any 
means whatever news or information directly or 
indirectly favorable to the rebellion will be con- 
sidered guilty of acts against the security ol the 
country, as defined by Article 223 of the military 
code, as they thereby facilitate the operations of 
the enemy. 

Second — Those who destroy or damage rail- 
roads, telegraphs or telephones, or interrupt the 
operations of the same. 

Third — Those who are guilty of arson. 

Fourth — Those who sell, carry or deliver 
arms or ammunition to the enemy or in any other 
way facilitate their introduction through the cus- 
tom houses. Parties failing to cause the seizure 
of such arms or ammunition will incur criminal 
responsibility. 

Fifth — Telegraph operators delivering war 
messages to other persons than the proper 
officials. 

Must Praise Spain. 

Sixth — Those who by word of mouth, through 
the medium of the press or in any other manner, 
shall belittle the prestige of Spain, the army, vol- 
unteers, firemen, or any other forces operating 
with the army. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 459 

Seventh — Those who by the same means 
shall praise the enemy. 

Eighth — Those who shall furnish the enemy 
with horses or other resources of warfare. 

Ninth — Those who act as spies will be pun- 
ished to the fullest extent of the law. 

Tenth — Those who shall act as guides to the 
enemy and fail to surrender themselves immedi- 
ately, and give proof of their loyalty and report 
the strength of the force employed by the enemy. 

Eleventh — Those who shall adulterate the 
food of the army or alter the prices of provisions. 

Twelfth — Those using explosives in violation 
of the decree of October 17th, 1895. 

Thirteenth — Those who shall use pigeons, 
rockets or signals to convey news to the enemy. 

Fourteenth — The offenses above mentioned 
are punishable by the penalty of death or life im- 
prisonment, the judges to take summary proceed- 
ings. 

Fifteenth — All orders conflicting with the 
foregoing are hereby revoked. 

Passports and Credentials. 

The second proclamation was as follows : 

First— All the inhabitants of the country 
within the jurisdiction of Sancti Spiritus and the 
provinces of Puerto Principe and Santiago will 
present themselves at the headquarters of a 
division, brigade or column of the army, and pro- 



460 CUBA. 

vide themselves with a document proving their 
identity inside of eight days from the pubHcation 
of this order in their respective townships. 

Second — To go into the country within the 
radius of the column's operating therein it is now 
necessary to obtain a pass from the Mayor or 
military commander. Those failing to comply 
with this requirement will be detained and sent to 
Havana, subject to my orders. In case of doubts 
as to the genuineness of a pass, or if there are 
reasons to suppose a party to have sympathy with 
the rebels or giving aid, responsibility for the same 
will be placed upon the officer issuing the pass. 
stores to t>e Seia^ed. 

Third — All stores in the country districts 
must be vacated at once by their owners. Chiefs 
of columns must also decide as to the disposition 
of such property, which, while being unproductive 
to the country, may at the same time serve as a 
habitation or hiding place for the enemy. 

Fourth— All passes issued prior to this date 
are hereby canceled. 

Fate of Prisoners. 

In the third proclamation Gen. Weyler dele- 
gated full powers to proceed with military trials 
to the commanders of the First and Second Army 
Corps and the commander of the Third Division. 

Prisoners taken in action were to be subiect 
to summary court martial. 




Battalion of Spanish Troops before the Governor- 
GeneraVs Palace, Havana, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 463 

More Xroops for Weyler. 

General Weyler soon began to ask for more 
troops. His first reinforcements arrived on 
February 26. He at the same time seized one- 
tenth of all the horses in Havana for the use of 
his army. 

The insurgents were not at all frightened by 
his fierce words, however. At the very time when 
the new Spanish troops were landing, a band of 
rebels made a raid on the stores on the outskirts 
of Cardenas. The storekeepers were mostly 
volunteers, and as such had been furnished arms 
and ammunition by the Government. The rebels 
seized the rifles and cartridges and then decamped. 
They met with no resistance. 

Xlie Massacre of Ouatao. 

A dreadful event of the beginning of Wey- 
ler's administration was the massacre at Guatao, 
which occurred on February 2 2d. It followed im- 
mediately upon the retreat of a small body of 
rebels, certainly not over forty, who had met a 
considerable Spanish force at Punta Brara, and 
had retired after some firing, which both sides 
admit, had no serious results. The insurgents 
withdrew along the road to Guatao, only a mile 
away, but separated before they reached that 
place and disappeared in the surrounding country. 

The Spaniards, however, following along the 
road, marched straight into Guatao, and, without 



464 CUBA. 

waiting to find any armed men, Immediately be- 
gan firing promiscuously, shooting down unarmed 
and peaceful citizens in all directions. Then they 
proceeded to massacre the few inhabitants with- 
out mercy. A milkman, who was shot at while 
pursuing his vocation, and fled into his house, was 
followed and ruthlessly shot down within doors. The 
town is very small, of only some two-score houses 
of Inferior quality, and was easily run through by 
the murderous Spaniards. The people started 
for the woods in terror, knowing that if they met 
any Insurgents they would be well treated, and 
trusting to conceal themselves ; but men running 
away were shot In the street. Several men who 
could not run were killed where they stood. 

The troops entered the houses and shot quiet 
men who were doing nothing. They raided bed- 
rooms, and a man confined to his bed by er}'slp- 
elas was killed as he lay there. In one case a 
woman came to the door of her house and pleaded 
with the soldiers for the life of her husband, who 
lay ill in bed. Their response was the crash of 
the butt of a musket in the woman's head. They 
then broke down a door and shot the husband In 

bed. 

Prisoners Killed. 

The previous fight had resulted in the capture 
of five Cuban '^ by the Spaniards. These five were 
shot dead in the fields. These, with thirteen dead 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 465 

found by Red Cross physicians who went to 
Guatao, make eighteen altogether. There were 
no wounded, all who did not escape to the woods 
being made sure of. 

Of three cigar-makers of Havana, named 
Chaves, who ran down to Guatao that afternoon 
to see their mother, one was killed and the others 
made prisoners. Every one of the dead in Guatao 
is recognized as a peaceful non-combatant. 

It is credibly asserted that when the troops 
went back to Mariano, whence reinforcements 
had been sent, bringing their prisoners with them, 
the soldiers were drunk. Examination of the 
houses in Guatao proves that the assertion of the 
authorities that the insurgent troops took refuge 
in them and fired on the Spaniards is untrue. 
Very Near IlaTana. 

These terrible scenes took place within a 
dozen miles from Havana, and the ignorance which 
Gen. Weyler professed of the actual facts was 
manifestly not to be believed. 

Troops brought the bodies of the dead from 
the houses and fields and placed them on the 
ground in front of the main store. The prisoners 
who were captured in houses and fields without 
arms were pinioned and compelled to walk to 
Mariano. They were bruised and ill-treated on 
the way, and required medical attendance upon 
their arrival. 



466 CUBA. 

Among the dead was the gravedlgger, 
making it necessary to obtain a negro to dig the 
graves. 

The facts above related are verified by per- 
sons who went to Punta Brara and Guatao. 
The To^wns Deserted. 

The towns of Guatao and Punta Brara were 
soon deserted. The residents fled to Havana in 
fear of their Hves. Of 1,710 people in the latter 
town only fourteen remained. The action of the 
troops so close to Havana created an intense 
sensation there. 

The only official notice taken by the govern- 
ment was a telegram of congratulation sent 
Marquis De Cervera, Alcalde of Mariano. This 
was in response to his message to Weyler, in 
which he said: " They have done to-day what your 
Excellency so gloriously did at Jaina, Santo 
Domingo, thirty years ago." 

l^eyler Calls a Halt. 

Arrests of civilians under the sweeping pro- 
visions of General Weyler's proclamations of 
February 16 had been made at such a rate and 
in many cases with so little evidence of guilt that 
General Weyler was soon compelled to issue 
instructions to his officers to be more careful, as 
he required more proof than verbal denunciation. 
He issued on March 8th a circular in which he 
stated that absolute proof must be furnished by 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 467 

Other than interested persons before accused 
men would be deported, and warning com- 
manders that they would be held responsible for 
false answers. 

Without doubt General Weyler had in view 
the effect of this order abroad, for the manner in 
which Cubans who had never borne arms against 
Spain were dragged from their homes and 
thrown into prisons with felons, and after a few 
days' delay placed on board ship for what is 
probably the vilest penal colony on the face of 
the earth, had become a shame which cried aloud 
for redress. General Weyler, on his arrival, set 
at liberty a number of these civilian prisoners 
whom General Pando had taken from their daily 
occupations. The only evidence against these 
men was a paper purporting to be a list of the 
people who were aiding and communicating with 
the enemy. It was made up by a Spaniard. 
Po^wers of L,ife and Deatli. 

Said a correspondent writing from Havana 
on March 9 : 

" General Weyler has removed the alcaldes 
of all towns in whom he had not absolute confi- 
dence, and has appointed the ranking military 
officers of regular troops of volunteers alcaldes 
or mayors. These men possess arbitrary powers. 
Under the proclamation the life or death of any 
man, woman or child in their zone is In their 



468 CUBA. 

hands. A large proportion of these commanders 
beheve Weyler to be a man who will quickly 
approve any extreme act on their part. They 
look for no punishment for summary executions 
of Cubans who sympathize with the insurgents. 
They expect praise and promotion for shooting 
prisoners as soon as taken. General Canella was 
sent back to Spain by Weyler either for having 
shot down seventeen prisoners, or for having re- 
ported 'seventeen bodies were found afterward 
in another part of the field' ; but the man who 
confessed to his friends here, and probably to 
General Weyler, to having killed seventeen 
people in cold blood received no more severe 
punishment than being deprived of his command. 
'' When the horrible story of the butchery of 
eighteen peaceable citizens in the little hamlet of 
Guatao was published in the United States, and 
telegraphed back here, General Weyler announced 
that he would make a thorough examination and 
would severely punish those responsible for the 
outrage if one had been committed. Two weeks 
have gone by since the affair occurred, and no 
official has lost his stripes. Guatao was so near 
Havana that American correspondents succeeded 
in demonstrating the absolute truth of the story. 
Dozens of reports of affairs in which unarmed 
citizens are killed by Spanish troops have been 
received here, but the authorities have placed 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 469 

such obstacles in the way of correspondents that 
it is impossible to visit the localities and establish 
the facts. In a dozen cases refugees from towns 
where fights have occurred state that after the 
rebels were driven away citizens who took no part 
were shot down, and counted in the official reports 
as dead insurgents. The government officials deny 
these stories, and while it is common talk in 
Havana that certain affairs were butcheries, the 
correspondents are in most cases obliged to 
accept the Government version.'* 

More Proclamations* 

Among the various manifestos published by 
Weyler on March 8, were the following: 

'' I have promulgated an order that the teach- 
ers of divinity of the Provinces of Matanzas, Santa 
Clara, Puerto Principe and Santiago de Cuba, who, 
confessedly, have taken part in the movements of 
the rebels, shall be pardoned on making their 
submission, surrendering their arms and placing 
themselves under the surveillance of the lawful 
authority, provided they have not committed 
other crimes since the issuance of my last pro- 
clamation. 

''The teachers of divinity who, without arms, 
shall come in under the same circumstances will 
be immediately transferred to the encampments, 
forts and towns, where they may be under the 
immediate vigilance of the troops, and all the 



470 CUBA. 

teachers shall be under the control of the com- 
mandants in whatever jurisdiction they may be 
assigned. A record of those so attached to each 
column, encampment or fort will be kept, and 
their superiors will make a report every fifteen 
days concerning the conduct of the teachers, and 
will determine the time at which they will be per- 
mitted to reside in whatever place it may be 
deemed advisable to conduct them, placing them 
under the supervision of the local authorities, or 
making any other disposition of them which may 
be considered proper. In the meantime they will 
become permanently attached to the military 
forces, and will give their attention to the dying, 
and will be entitled to such rations as troops in 
the field or traveling. 

''These directions will not go into effect in 
the Provinces of Pinar del Rio and Havana until 
these provinces have extended to them the pre- 
vailing law in the case of those who deliver 
themselves up to the authorities." 
For Hxtermination. 
The following proclamation was also issued : 
**I make known to our harassed troops and 
to those who attempt to demoralize them as they 
pursue eastward rebel parties more numerous 
than those whom they leave in the Provinces of 
Pinar del Rio and Havana that the time has 
arrived to pursue with the greatest activity and 




Cubans Fighting from the Tree-Tops. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 473 

rigor the little bands, more of outlaws than in- 
surgents, who have remained in the said provinces, 
and to adopt whatever measures are necessary 
for the proper and immediate carrying out of 
that intention. I hereby order : 

''(i) — That the troops be divided into col- 
umns to operate in both provinces and that the 
guardia civil be re-established on the lines of 
that now existing in Pinar del Rio and in a part 
of Puerto Principe, and that in Havana and a 
part of the Province of Santiago de Cuba they 
occupy only the places remote from the present 
pacified or tranquilized districts until they are 
able to occupy the positions which they held be- 
fore (in the districts now in revolt). 

''(2) — The commander of each zone, or the 
corresponding official who may be otherwise 
characterized in each place, shall be the com- 
mander of the native army. 

"(3) — Each community seeking to do so, 
and applying to the general staff of the army, 
may arm a section of volunteers or guerrillas of 
thirty men, equipped as infantry soldiers, which 
force will defend the country and in every case 
operate under orders of the military authorities 
of the locality. 

''(4) — Those who are in possession of arms 
must be placed in a state of complete defense 
and enabled to avoid a surprise. 



474 CUBA. 

Fifteen Days' Orace. 

''(5) — The military governors of Havana 
and Pinar del Rio will present reports to the 
Captain-General. 

*'(6) — The authorities of the villages who will 
show themselves friendly within a term of ten 
days, and those of the vicinity of the same, and 
all those within its limits that are engaged in the 
insurrection, are warned to surrender themselves 
within the space of fifteen days from the publica- 
tion of this proclamation, otherwise they will be 
subject to arrest; and well-disposed persons will 
be held to their civil responsibilities, and to effect 
this it will be proposed to the Governor-General 
to nominate a body which will see to carrying 
this out. 

''(7) — If, in the case of insurgent parties who 
have sacked, robbed, burned or committed other 
outrages during the rebellion, any one will give 
information as to the participation that such per- 
sons may have had in them, not only those who 
may have been in the rebel ranks, but also those 
who have succored them, or who have not 
remained in their homes, they will be fittingly 
punished; and, moreover, if any town or other 
place where robberies have been effected is 
known to them, they will be required to make 
identification that proper responsibility may be 
fixed. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 475 

Threats. 

*'(8) — Rebels, who may not be responsible 
for any other crime, who, within the term of 
fifteen days, present themselves to the nearest 
military authority in both provinces and who will 
assist in the apprehension of any one guilty of 
the foregoing offenses, will not be molested, but 
will be placed at my disposal. Those who have 
presented themselves at an earlier time will be 
pardoned; those who may have committed any 
other crimes, or who obstructed any public cargo 
proceeding to its destination will be judged 
according to the antecedents, and their case will 
be withheld for final determination. He who 
presents himself and surrenders arms, and, in a 
greater degree, if there be a collective presenta- 
tion, will have his case determined by me. All 
who present themselves after the time mentioned 
in this warning will be placed at my disposal. 

''(9) — All the authorities or civil function- 
aries, of whatsoever kind, and who do not hold a 
license for attendance upon the sick, and who 
are not found at their posts, after the end of 
eight days, in both provinces will be named to 
the Governor-General as ceasing to act foj:* the 
local authorities. 

''(10) — The planters, manufacturers and 
other persons who, within the territory of the 
provinces warned, shall periodically facilitate, or 



476 CUBA. 

even for a single time shall give money of any 
kind soever to the insurgents, save and except 
in the case of their being obliged to yield to 
superior force, a circumstance which will have to 
be examined in a most searching manner, will be 
regarded as disloyal through helping the rebellion. 

•'(ii)— For the repair of roads, railways, 
telegraphs, etc., the personal co-operation of the 
inhabitants of the villages will be required, and 
in the case of the destruction of any kind of prop- 
erty, the occupants of convenient habitations will 
be held responsible if they do not immediately 
inform the nearest authority of such occurrences." 
Oiler of Amnesty. 

He also issued this proclamation, offering 
amnesty to rebels : 

" I have deemed it proper to direct that per- 
sons presenting themselves in the provinces of 
Matanzas, Santa Clara, Puerto Principe, and San- 
tiago de Cuba, and who confessedly have been 
with the rebels will be pardoned, provided they 
surrender themselves with their arms, and have 
been guilty of no other crimes. In such cases, 
however, they will remain under the surveillance 
of the authorities until further orders from me. 
Should they surrender themselves in considerable 
bodies that fact will recommend them to greater 
consideration. Those who present themselves 
under similar conditions, but without arms, will 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 477 

be assigned to detachments in towns or forts or 
elsewhere, where they may be subjected to the 
vigilance of troops. A record of all such persons 
shall be kept by the commander of arms of the 
jurisdiction to which they belong, and he shall note 
upon such record the names of those persons as- 
signed to each column, detachment or fort. 
To Report on tlie Suspects. 
*'The chiefs of such detachments or forts 
will then give a fortnightly report of the behavior 
of such surrendered persons as are under their 
charge, and acting upon these reports I will 
determine the localities where they may be per- 
mitted to reside, or whether they shall be con- 
ducted elsewhere to be left under the surveillance 
of the local authorities, or to be disposed of as I 
may deem proper. While such persons remain 
with the troops they shall be served with daily 
rations, which the chief to whom they are detailed 
will note in his statement. These conditions 
shall be void in any province as soon as the 
special edict made applicable to the provinces of 
Havana and Pinar del Rio governing the sur- 
render of rebels shall also be made similarly 
applicable to it.'* 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE CUBAN CAUSE IN THE UNITED STATES NEU- 
TRALITY PROCLAIMED SHOWED AMERICAN 

COLORS SENOR PALMA APPEAL FOR RECOGNI- 
TION A LONG DEBATE ACTION BY CONGRESS. 




ARLY in the war, trouble arose be- 
tween Spain and the United States, as 
usual. Spain objected to the sale of 
supplies of arms to the insurgents. That, how- 
ever, was perfectly legal. 

The impression that munitions of war may 
not be sold by citizens of the United States to 
Cubans is declared to be erroneous by author- 
ities on international law, who declare that the 
attitude of this government is to-day, as it has 
always been, to adhere to the policy laid down by 
Thomas Jefferson in his identical notes to Great 
Britain and France on May 15th, 1793, and reit- 
erated constantly in the last 100 years. Mr. 
Jefferson wrote : 

" Our citizens have always been free to make, 
vend and export arms. It is the constant occupa- 
tion and livelihood of some of them. To suppress 
their callings, the only means, perhaps, of their 

(478) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 479 

subsistence, because a war exists in foreign and 
distant countries, in which we have no concern, 
would scarcely be expected. It would be hard in 
principle and impossible in practice." At the 
same time Secretary Hamilton in a Treasury cir- 
cular informed customs officials that "the pur- 
chasing within and exporting from the United 
States, by way of merchandise, articles commonly 
called contraband, being generally warlike instru- 
ments and military stores, is free to all the parties 
at war, and is not to be interfered with." 

Secretary Seward informed Minister Romero 
in 1862 that ''transportation of arms or money 
from the United States to either of the belliger- 
ents in Mexico is not a breach of neutrality, 
either under international law or the municipal 
law of the United States," and Mexico acquiesced 
in the decision. Secretary Fish in 1874 wrote to 
the Spanish Government as follows : 

''The exportation of arms and munitions of 
war of their own manufacture to foreign countries 
is an important part of the commerce of the 
United States. In time of war their government 
will expect those engaged in the business to 
beware of all the risks legally incident to it. No 
such expectation, however, can be indulged in for 
a time of profound peace, and indemnification 
will be asked of any nation which may unneces- 
sarily or illegally obstruct such trade." 



480 CUBA. 

Neutrality Proclaimed. 

President Cleveland, however, thought it 
best to define the Government's position in the 
following proclamation : . 

''Whereas, The island of Cuba is now the 
seat of a serious, civil disturbance, accompanied 
by armed resistance to the authority of the estab- 
lished Government of Spain, a Power with which 
the United States are and desire to remain on 
terms of peace and amity ; and 

"Whereas, The laws of the United States pro- 
hibit their citizens as well as all others being 
within and subject to their jurisdiction, from 
taking part in such disturbances adversely to such 
established Government, by accepting or exer- 
cising commissions for warlike service against it, 
by enlistment or procuring others to enlist for 
such service, by fitting out or arming or procuring 
to be fitted out and armed ships of war for such 
service, by augmenting the force of any ship of 
war engaged in such service and arriving in a 
port of the United States, and by setting on foot 
or providing or preparing the means for military 
enterprise to be carried on from the United States 
against the territory of such Government ; 

''Now, therefore, in recognition of the laws 
aforesaid, and in discharge of the obligations of 
the United States toward a friendly Power, and as 
a measure of precaution, and to the end that citi- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 48 1 

zens of the United States and all others within its 
jurisdiction maybe deterred from subjecting them- 
selves to legal forfeiture and penalties : 

''I, Grover Cleveland, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby admonish all such 
citizens and other persons to abstain from every 
violation of the laws hereinbefore referred to, and 
do hereby warn them that all violations of such 
laws will be rigorously prosecuted ; and I do 
hereby enjoin upon all officers of the United 
States charged with the execution of said laws the 
utmost diligence in preventing violations thereof 
and in bringing to trial and punishment any 
offenders against the same." 

SliO'wecl American Colors. 

On March 8th, as the ''Allianca" was pass- 
ing the eastern end of Cuba, a Spanish gun- 
boat was seen lying under Cape Maysi. The 
gunboat steered toward the *'Allianca," which at 
once showed her colors, and saluted the Spanish 
flag by dipping them. The gunboat acknowl- 
edged the courtesy by dipping the Spanish flag, 
which she was flying, and a few moments later 
fired a blank cartridge from one of her guns as a 
signal for the American vessel to heave to. Cap- 
tain Crossman paid no attention to this, and the 
gunboat fired another blank cartridge. The ''Al- 
lianca" continued her course north, and the gun- 
boat began to chase her, firing solid shot at her. 



482 CUBA. 

The gunboat chased the American ship for 
twenty-five miles, but was gradually dropped 
astern, the American merchant vessel being the 
faster boat. One of the solid shot fired by the Span- 
iard came within between an eighth and a quarter 
of a mile of the ''Alllanca." Some of the of^cers 
judged the first distance, and some the second. 
The smoke was pouring from the funnels of the 
gunboat, and she was seemingly trying her best 
to overhaul the ''Alllanca." She evidently had 
no bow-chasers, for every time she fired she had 
to yaw in order to bring her guns to bear. The 
''Allianca" slightly increased her speed after the 
gunboat began to fire, and had no difficulty in 
getting away from her. As the Spaniard was 
dropped astern she hoisted a set of signals, but 
she was too far away at the time for them to be 
made out. 

The United States Government vigorously 
protested against such conduct, and on April 26th 
it was finally announced that the "Allianca" affair 
had been settled, Spain giving to the United 
States ample and honorable satisfaction, and ad- 
mitting that the *'Allianca" was outside the juris- 
diction and waters of Spain when she was fired 
upon. 

Senor Palma. 

The chief official representative of the Cuban 
insurgents in this country, Senor Fomas Estrada 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 483 

Palma, soon opened headquarters in New York, 
and began effective work for the cause. 

Senor Palma is a lawyer by profession and is 
a man of broad ideas and great executive ability. 
He is at present at the head of a large school for 
boys. He is married and has a family. He was 
born in 1835, in Bayamo, in the eastern part of 
Cuba. He was prominently identified with the 
Cuban insurrection of 1868. He was at one time 
a Representative in the Chamber of Deputies of 
the Republic of Cuba. He was afterward chosen 
Secretary of State, and from that office was called 
to the office of " President of the Republic of 
Cuba." He has seen active warfare, and in 1877 
was taken prisoner by the Spanish authorities, 
and as he was looked upon as a dangerous mal- 
content was sent to Spain, where he was placed 
for safe-keeping in the famous prison in the Castle 
of Figueros. When peace was declared, in 1878, 
he was released and went to France. He only 
remained there a short time, and then came to 
the United States. After that he went to Hon- 
duras. He became closely allied with the federal 
power there, and was chosen Postmaster-General 
of that State. From Honduras he returned to 
the United States. 

Appeal for Recosfnition. 

Efforts were made during the winter of 
1895-6 to induce the United States Government 



484 CUBA. 

to recognize the Cubans as belligerents and 
extend to them belligerent rights. Some sincere 
friends of Cuba doubted the wisdom of this 
course, but a vast majority of the American 
people seemed to favor it. 

On January 29th the Senate committee on 
Foreign Relations decided to take some definite 
action. Two sentiments had divided the com- 
mittee from the beginning. On the one hand 
there had been a general desire to grant the 
recognition which the revolutionists desired, and 
thus put an end at once to the highly annoying 
and embarrassing conditions under which inter- 
course between the United States and Cuba had 
been maintained for the last ten months. With 
a recognition of the Cuban Revolutionary 
Government as a belligerent Power, it had been 
assumed that the annoyances of the neutrality 
policy would be to a great extent removed, or at 
least insensibly diminished. On the other hand, 
there had been an unmistakable feeling that the 
United States could not with propriety and 
justice proclaim the belligerency of the insurgent 
forces on the military showing so far made by 
them. The precedent set by Secretary Fish in 
the last Cuban rebellion was felt to have bound 
this country to a policy of extreme caution in 
dealing with the present uprising against the 
Spanish Government. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 485 

A lyong: Debate. 

Similar resolutions were introduced in the 
House of Representatives, and then a long 
debate ensued, not only in Congress, but in the 
public press and throughout the country at large. 
Sefior Palma, the Cuban Delegate, addressed a 
long letter on the subject to Secretary Olney, 
which was communicated to the Senate and 
formed the basis of its action. 

Senor Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish Minister 
at Washington, took a hand in this debate through 
the newspapers — an unusual thing for a Minister 
to do. He especially protested against some 
statements made in the Senate concerning the 
way in which the Spaniards were conducting the 
war in Cuba. He said : 

''I read with the .deepest regret the state- 
ments made in the Senate by some of the most 
influential Senators of the United States, knowing 
that the facts which were stated by them were 
incorrect ; that their good faith, of which I have 
no doubt, had been imposed upon, and that it 
would be very easy for me to prove in a little 
time that the Senators had been misinformed by 
persons interested in bringing about a misunder- 
standing between the two countries. 

'* I cannot understand how all rules of war 
that have been given by all civilized nations are 
so criminal, so cruel and so tyrannical when they 



486 CUBA. 

are applied In Cuba. I have before my eyes a 
summary of charges of inhumanity in connection 
with the war of the rebelHon in the United States 
against both sides, taken from American history. 
I am sure that many of them are false, most of 
them exaggerated, some of them necessary and 
others unavoidable, but, taking only as an illus- 
tration and for the sake of argument what I see 
in that list, I cannot understand how people who 
are familiar with those necessary evils of war 
have been able to use such harsh, unjust and 
offensive language against Spain. 

" Nothing is now done in Cuba that has not 
been done and has not been deemed necessary 
in other countries when at war. It would be pos- 
sible and easy for me to quote many facts not 
different from those which now arouse public sen- 
timent against Spain. I will only ask persons 
wanting an impartial and honest opinion to read 
what the commanders-in-chief of the American 
armies of- both sides and what the armies of 
France and Germany have deemed necessary for 
the protection of their soldiers and the carrying 
out of war." 

To this a vigorous reply was made by some 
of the Senators, and also by Senor Quesada, of 
the Cuban legation, who made a damning revela- 
tion of the numerous atrocities and horrors of 
Spanish warfare. 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 487 

Action toy Consrress. 

Both Houses of Congress finally adopted 
their resolutions by overwhelming majorities. 
But the resolutions were not identical. Therefore 
Conference committees were appointed, and fur- 
ther delay and debate ensued. At last, on March 
26, both Houses practically agreed upon identical 
resolutions, as follows : 

"Resolved by the Senate, (the House con- 
curring therein), That in the opinion of Congress 
a condition of public war exists between the 
Government of Spain and the Government pro- 
claimed and for some time maintained by force of 
arms by the people of Cuba, and that the United 
States of America should maintain a strict neu- 
trality between the contending Powers, according 
to each all the rights of belligerents in the ports 
and territories of the United States. 

'* Resolved, further. That the friendly offices 
of the United States should be offered by the 
President to the Spanish Government for the 
recognition of the independence of Cuba." 

These resolutions were ultimately adopted 
in the midst of great enthusiasm by an over- 
whelming majority on April 6, and sent to the 
President for his consideration and action. Beino- 
concurrent in form, they were not mandatory 
upon him, and he was not compelled to do any- 
thing at all with them. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



LATEST OPERATIONS THE "COMPETITOR" CASE WEY- 

LER FORCED TO TAKE THE FIELD DEATH OF 

OSGOOD, THE AMERICAN WEYLER GOES OUT 

AGAIN ATTITUDE OF THE WASHINGTON GOV- 
ERNMENT A SPECTACLE OF RUIN MAY BE 

OBLIGED TO INTERFERE MR. OLNEY's VIEW 

CAPITAL NOT ALONE INVOLVED THE DEATH OF 

MACEO — Spain's implacable foe — maceo's 

GREAT RAID THE HERO's LAST CAMPAIGN 

THE FINAL TRAGEDY THE DEMAND FOR REC- 
OGNITION. 




^URING THE summer and early fall of 
1896 no important changes occurred in 
the situation of affairs in Cuba. The 
insurgents fully held their ground, controlling 
most of the island outside of a score of garrison 
towns. General Weyler remained in Havana, 
talking of the great things he would do, but doing 
nothing. Forty thousand new troops were 
received from Spain, bringing the total in the 
island up to about 200,000, or four or five times 
as many as those of the insurgents. The latter 
were divided into two principal bands. The larger 
of them was in the east-central part of the island, 

(488) 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 489 

under the command of the General-in-Chief, Max- 
imo Gomez. The other was in Pinar del Rio, 
under the dashing Lieutenant-General, Antonio 
Maceo. The latter gave the Spanish by far the 
more trouble. Frequent raids and forays men- 
aced even Havana itself. Weyler constructed 
another trocha across the island, west of Havana, 
which, he boasted, would keep Maceo and his men 
shut up in Pinar del Rio until they were starved 
into submission. But this boast was vain. The 
rich province furnished ample supplies for the 
maintenance of the patriot army for an indefinite 
time, while arms and ammunition were easily 
smuggled in by small, fleet vessels from the 
United States, Mexico and elsewhere. Moreover, 
more than a few successful attacks were made 
upon the trocha itself, and patriot bands suc- 
ceeded in crossing and recrossing it almost at 

will. 

The " Competitor »» Case. 

In April the ''Competitor," a small schooner 
of American registry, eluded the vigilance of the 
Federal authorities, took on board men and 
supplies, presumably intended to aid the Cuban 
insurgents, and reached the coast of that island 
near San Cayetano. Being discovered by the 
Spanish coast guard, a conflict ensued, resulting 
in the capture of a number of those on board, 
as well as the seizure of the vessel. The prison- 



490 CUBA. 

ers, among them several American citizens, were 
subjected to a summary military trial, which, 
although conducted by an Admiralty Court, 
alleged to be competent, appeared to have lacked 
the essential safeguards of procedure stipulated 
by the existing conventions between the United 
States and Spain. The Go\ernment promptly 
intervened to secure for its implicated citizens all 
the rights to which they were clearly entitled, 
including appeal from the pronounced sentence 
of death. Their cases were subsequently carried 
to the higher tribunal at Madrid, which has set 
the conviction aside and remanded the cases for 
retrial. 

^Weyler Forced to take tlie Field. 

In the month of October more active opera- 
tions were resumed. The Spanish Government 
became dissatisfied with Weyler's dilatory tactics, 
and peremptorily directed him to take the field in 
person and strike a decisive blow; otherwise, it was 
intimated, he would be recalled and another put 
in his place. The reasons for this urgency were 
evident. The Spanish Treasury was empty, and 
it was found impossible to raise a loan in any of 
the money markets of Europe. The only resort 
was, then, to appeal to the patriotism of the 
Spanish people themselves for a domestic loan ; 
and to arouse their patriotic zeal and make the 
loan a success there must at least be a show of 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 49 1 

action in Cuba. So Weyler, with 60,000 troops, 
marched out of Havana toward the hills where 
lay Maceo with less than 20,000. Next day the 
loan was asked for, and the Spanish people, in 
an outburst of enthusiasm, subscribed not only 
the ^50,000,000 asked for, but more than twice 
that sum. 

Deatli of Osgfood, tlie American. 
Weyler did not succeed in striking the blow 
he had boasted. He did not himself come any- 
where near the enemy. But a brigade of his 
advance guard, pressing forward, came into con- 
flict with the insurgents. A sharp engagement 
followed, in which the Spanish were defeated and 
driven back with great slaughter. The Cubans 
suffered little loss, except in the death of one 
man. This was Winchester Dana Osgood, a 
young American officer. He had had a brilliant 
career as a scholar at Cornell University and the 
University of Pennsylvania, and was also a noted 
athlete, being one of the ablest foot-ball players 
of the day. He had gone to Cuba to assist the 
insurgents through pure love of liberty, and had 
done them valuable service as an artillery officer. 
In his last engagement he was personally direct- 
ing the working of a field-gun with admirable 
effect. The Spaniards were retreating, and the 
victory was won. Suddenly he was struck 
squarely in the centre of the forehead with a 



492 CUBA. 

heavy rifle-bullet. He staggered back, exclaimed 
-Well!" and fell dead. 

y^ejlcr Goes Out Asfain. 

A few days later Weyler returned to Ha- 
vana, without having fought one serious battle. 
But the Spanish Government quickly ordered 
him out again. This time it was for the sake of 
political effect in the United States. Congress 
was about to meet, and the President would send 
in his annual message. American sympathy 
with the insurgents was known to be strong, and 
it was feared by Spain that the United States 
Government would recognize the independence 
of the Cubans, and perhaps intervene in their 
behalf The best way to prevent this, the Span- 
ish thought, was to make a show of action, as if 
to prove Spain's ability to crush the rebellion. 
So Weyler went out and encamped at a safe 
distance from Maceo, and by a judicious manipu- 
lation of all news sent out from the island made 
it appear that he was at last subduing the insur- 
gents. As a matter of fact, he carefully avoided 
battle, while the Cubans were constantly on the 
aggressive. A detachment of the Cuban army 
crossed the trocha, passed clear around Weyler s 
entire army, and stormed and burned a town in 
the outskirts of Havana. The firing was heard 
and the flames were seen in the very heart of the 
city, and the greatest alarm prevailed. And 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 493 

again Weyler hurried back, without striking the 
long-promised blow. 

Attitude of the l^ashington Oovernment. 

At the beginning of December the United 
States Congress met. The President's message 
paid much attention to Cuba. ''The insurrection 
in Cuba," said Mr. Cleveland, ''still continues 
with all its perplexities. It is difficult to perceive 
that any progress has thus far been made toward 
the pacification of the island or that the situation 
of affairs as depicted in my last annual message 
has in the least improved. If Spain still holds 
Havana and the seaports and all the considerable 
tov*^ns, the insurgents still roam at will over at 
least two-thirds of the inland country. If the 
determination of Spain to put down the insurrec- 
tion seems but to strengthen with the lapse of 
time, and is evinced by her unhesitating devotion 
of largely increased military and naval forces to 
the task, there is much reason to believe that the 
insurgents have gained in point of numbers, and 
character, and resources, and are none the less 
inflexible in their resolve not to succumb, without 
practically securing the great objects for which 
they took up arms. If Spain has not yet re- 
established her authority, neither have the insur- 
gents yet made good their title to be regarded as 
an independent state. Indeed, as the contest has 

gone on, the pretence that civil government exists 
28 



494 CUBA. 

on the island, except so far as Spain is able to 
maintain it, has been practically abandoned. 
Spain does keep on foot such a government, 
more or less imperfectly, in the large towns and 
their immediate suburbs. But, that exception 
being made, the entire country is either given 
over to anarchy or is subject to the military occu- 
pation of one or the other party. It is reported, 
indeed, on reliable authority, that, at the de- 
mand of the Commander-in-Chief of the insurgent 
army, the putative Cuban Government has now 
given up all attempts to exercise its functions, 
leaving that Government confessedly (what there 
is the best reason for supposing it always to have 
been in fact) a Government merely on paper. 
A Spectacle of Ruin. 
" The spectacle of the utter ruin of an adjoin- 
ing country, by nature one of the most fertile and 
charming on the globe, would engage the serious 
attention of the Government and people of the 
United States in any circumstances. In point of 
fact, they have a concern with it which is by no 
means of a wholly sentimental or philanthropic 
character. It lies so near to us as to be hardly 
separated from our territory. Our actual pecu- 
niary interest in it is second only to that of the 
people and Government of Spain. It is reason- 
ably estimated that at least from ^30,000,000 to 
$50,000,000 of American capital are invested in 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 495 

plantations and in railroad, mining, and other 
business enterprises on the island. The volume 
of trade between the United States and Cuba, 
which in 1889 amounted to about $64,000,000, 
rose in 1893 to about $103,000,000, and in 1894, 
the year before the present insurrection broke 
out, amounted to nearly $96,000,000. Besides 
this large pecuniary stake in the fortunes of 
Cuba, the United States finds itself inextricably 
involved in the present contest in other ways 
both vexatious and costly. 

may Be Obligfed to Interfere. 
"When the inability of Spain to deal suc- 
cessfully with the insurrection has become mani- 
fest, and it is demonstrated that her sovereignty 
is extinct in Cuba for all purposes of its rightful 
existence, and when a hopeless struggle for its 
re-establishment has degenerated into a strife 
which means nothing more than the useless sacri- 
fice of human life and the utter destruction of 
the very subject-matter of the conflict, a situation 
will be presented in which our obligations to the 
sovereignty of Spain will be superseded by higher 
obligations, which we can hardly hesitate to 
recognize and discharge. Deferring the choice 
of ways and methods until the time for action 
arrives, we should make them depend upon the 
precise conditions then existing ; and they should 
not be determined upon without giving careful 



496 CUBA. 

heed to every consideration involving our honor 
and interest, or the international duty we owe to 
Spain. Until we face the contingencies suggested, 
or the situation is by other incidents impera- 
tively changed, we should continue in the line of 
conduct heretofore pursued, thus in all circum- 
stances exhibiting our obedience to the require- 
ments of public law and our regard for the duty 
enjoined upon us by the position we occupy in 
the family of nations." 

Mr, Olney's View. 
In addition to the President's message, Mr. 
Olney, the Secretary of State, issued an elaborate 
report on the state of Cuba, in which he said : 
''Its effect upon the personal security of our 
citizens in Cuba is not the only alarming feature 
of the reign of arbitrary anarchy in that island. 
Its influence upon the fortunes of those who 
have invested their capital and enterprise there, 
on the assumed assurance of respect for law and 
treaty rights, is no less in point. In the nature of 
things, and having regard to the normal produc- 
tions and trade of the island, most of these ven- 
tures have been made in the sugar and tobacco 
growing and stock-raising districts now given 
over to civil war. Exact statistics of the amount 
of such investments are not readily attainable, 
but an approximate statement shows that Ameri- 
can interests in actual property in the district of 




^i m 



An Insurgent attack near Vueltas, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 499 

Cienfuegos reach some $12,000,000; in the 
Province of Matanzas, some $9,000,000 ; in Sagua, 
for estates and crops alone, not less than $9,229,- 
000, while in Santiago the investments in mining 
operations probably exceed $15,000,000. For 
Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, and other interior 
districts tabulated statements are wanting, and so 
also with regard to commercial and manufacturing 
establishments, railway enterprises, and the like. 
A gross estimate of $50,000,000 would be more 
likely to fall under than over the mark. A large 
proportion of these investments is now exposed 
to the exceptional vicissitudes of the war. 
Estates have been desolated and crops destroyed 
by the insurgents and Spaniards alike. Upon 
those not actually ravaged, operations have been 
compulsorily suspended, owing to the warnings 
served by the revolutionists or the withdrawal of 
protection by the Spanish authorities, often accom- 
panied by a similar prohibition against continuing 
work thereon or by forbidding communication 
and residence, thus entailing enforced abandon- 
ment of the premises. Provisions and stock have 
been seized by either force for military use 
without compensation. Dwellings have been 
pillaged. 

''In short, the cessation of all remunerative 
production accompanies actual or probable loss of 
the invested capital. Numerous claims on these 



500 CUBA. 

several accounts have been filed, but in many in- 
stances the sufferers are known to abstain from 
formal claim or complaint for prudential reasons, 
lest worse should befall them at the hands of the 
insurgents and the Spaniards in turn, accordingly 
as either may gain temporary control of their 
property. A partial estimate of material claims 
and injuries of this class already aggregates a 
trifle under ^19,000,000. 

Capital Xot Alone IiiTolved. 

'' Nor does the loss fall upon capital alone. 
Large numbers of the agricultural laboring 
classes are driven from the fields to the nearest 
towns, partly by the peremptory orders of the 
local military commanders and partly by the ces- 
sation or destruction of their only means of 
livelihood. They are well-nigh destitute. Among 
them are many citizens of the United States. 
Some idea of the extent of the calamitous condi- 
tions is given by the reports which reach the 
department from a single district. 

"It is officially reported that there are in one 
provincial city alone some 4,000 necessitous re- 
fugees from the surrounding country to whom the 
municipal authorities can afford little or no relief. 
Over 300 of these are American citizens who 
were engaged in prosperous farming and stock 
raising at the beginning of the outbreak, whose 
employment and resources have been swept 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 50I 

away by eighteen months of civil strife, reducing 
them from affluence to penury, and throwing 
them upon the charity of an exhausted commu- 
nity in a devastated land. 

''All these disastrous conditions, with the 
evils and disorders necessarily following in their 
track, are interfering with the insular avenues of 
trade, and very gravely Impairing the business 
operations of Cuba. A measure of the general 
falling off is instructively found in the- monthly 
returns of the customs receipts at the fifteen 
ports of entry of Cuba, which, from $5,469,255.77 
during the first seven months of 1895, sank to 
$3,723,107.80, in the corresponding period of 
1896. This is but one of many accessible exam- 
ples to show that the industrial value of the Island 
of Cuba is fast decreasing under the prevalent 
conditions." 

Tlie Deatli of Maceo. 

Following closely upon this came the heaviest 
blow the patriot cause had yet suffered, in the 
death of the Lieutenant-General, Antonio Maceo. 
He was betrayed by a traitor in his own camp, 
into falling into an ambush at Punta Brava, on 
Dec. 7, and was massacred with nearly all his 
staff, the treacherous physician who had led him 
to his death going over to the Spaniards in safety, 
and receiving his reward. 

Antonio Maceo had been quite the Prince 



502 CUBA. 

Rupert, the legendary chief, of two Cuban Insur- 
rections, and had played an even more conspicu- 
ous part in the present war than In the ten years' 
struggle of 1 868-1 878, in which he rose from the 
rank of volunteer to that of a commander second 
only to Cespedes, Maximo Gomez, Calixte Garcia, 
and other veterans, though he was only thirty 
years of age in 1878. He was born at Guan- 
tanamo, in the Province of Santiago de Cuba, in 
1848. In his early youth he earned his living on 
the wharves, helping to load and unload cargoes. 
He was an illiterate mulatto workman w^hen the 
insurrection broke out in 1868, and he imme- 
diately joined one of the first bands under Donato 
Marmal. During the war he found time to learn 
to read and write. He soon distinguished him- 
self^ and became popular, especially among the 
colored inhabitants, who have ever since looked 
up to him as their favorite leader. He drew his 
old father and four brothers into the rebellion, 
and his youngest brother, Jose, who became a 
famous chief, was killed in the present rising 
whilst conducting an attack upon the Spanish post 
of Santa Cruz, in the district of Santiago. 
Spain's Implacable Foe. 
When the great rebellion came to an end, 
and Marshal Campos induced most of the remain- 
ing rebel leaders to sign the Peace Treaty of 
Zanjon, on February 10, 1878, Maceo refused to 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 503 

submit. He held out for several months, and 
gave much trouble in the Eastern provinces of 
the island. At last, in August, 1878, he em- 
barked for Kingston, Jamaica. He led after- 
wards a roving life of refugee and conspirator. 
He went to Honduras, where he became a Gen- 
eral and Governor of Puerto Cortes, until he 
shared the fall of President Soto. In 1879 he 
again tried to raise bands in Cuba, but was made 
a prisoner and sent to Merhon Citadel by Gen- 
eral Blanca. He was soon released, and returned 
to America. Later on, he reappeared several 
times at Havana, putting up at one ot the best 
hotels. There he was openly visited and wel- 
comed by all the well-known Separatists and by 
many Autonomists. He made tours in the whole 
island, and played his cards warily enough to give 
no pretext for severity at the hands of several 
Governors-General. He was all the time pre- 
paring treason. He suddenly went to Santiago 
de Cuba, to start the ''small insurrection," Insur- 
reccion chica, in 1891. He was confronted by a 
stern and able General, Polavieja, the present 
Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, and 
successor to Marshal Blanco at Manila, who 
promptly took such measures as were sufficient 
to nip the rising in the bud. Maceo fled again to 
Central America and the States, to prepare more 
slowly and successfully the present rebellion 



504 CUBA. 

with Marti, Estrada, Betances young Cespedes, 
Gomez and Aldama. 

Antonio Maceo was one of tne first exiles 
who landed in the province of Santiago de Cuba, 
after the flag of the Solitary Star La Estrella 
Solitaria had been once more unfurled in the 
dark forests and mountains of Cuba, "La Mani- 
gua," at the end of February, 1895. ^^^ follow- 
ing, on disembarking from a filibustering brig, 
consisted of thirty refugees, soon hotly pursued 
by Spanish forces from Santiago, Holguin, and 
Guantanamo. The mulattoes and negroes of 
this province had kept such recollections of their 
old leader that he was promptly joined by several 
thousand volunteers, and many men who had 
been Cuban officers in the previous rising. His 
system was purely that of a guerillero, like the 
famous guerilleros who had given Napoleon I. so 
much to do in the Peninsular War, and like the 
Mexicans who harassed Bazaine and the Imperial 
troops of Napoleon III. and Maximilian. 
Maceo's Great Raid.' 

Maceo boldly prophesied, and no less boldly 
fulfilled the prediction, *'that he would ride from 
the Camaguey to the gates of Havana and to 
Cape San Antonio, in Pinar del Rio, in less than 
three months." Away galloped the dark troopers, 
mounted on the hardy and active Cuban horses, 
lightly attired with no impediment but their am- 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 505 

munition, their American rifles, and the^r terrible 
"machetes " — short swords, or cutlasses, which a 
Cuban handles from his boyhood as easily as he 
rides horses without saddles. The raiders went 
over Puerto Principe territory, across the Trocha 
del Yucaro and Moron, across the rich and fertile 
provinces of Santa Clara, Las Villas, and Matan- 
zas, dodging past the Spanish columns, dashing 
at outposts, burning plantations, destroying mills, 
laying waste every field and crop, blowing up rail- 
ways, cutting telegraphs, punishing and black- 
mailing the Loyalist planters, terrorizing the 
rural population, spreading alarm even in gar- 
risoned towns and ports. At last they met the 
brave old Marshal Campos, and Maceo out- 
manoeuvred, out-witted, out-marched him so com- 
pletely in Santa Clara and Matanzas, that the 
Spanish Kingmaker and Restorer of the Bourbon 
Monarchy had only just enough time to return by 
sea to the province of Havana before Maceo him- 
self appeared close to the capital of the island, 
carrying fire and sword into the wealthiest and 
most loyal territory of Cuba. Maceo had thus 
not only carried out his threat, but also hastened 
the resignation and disgrace of Marshal Campos. 
General Weyler succeeded Marshal Campos, and 
the subsequent history of the war consists of a 
succession of dashing raids by Maceo, and of 
futile attempts by the commander of the Span- 



5o6 CUBA. 

ish forces to get to close quarters with him. 
Latterly, after many manoeuvres and counter- 
manoeuvres, General Weyler began a systematic 
advance of the Spanish forces from Havana into 
the province of Pinar del Rio, driving every one 
before him and devastating the country, without, 
however, meeting traces of Maceo and the main 
body of the insurgents, until he heard that the 
bands had reappeared in Las Lomas, and close to 
the Trocha of Mariel Artemisa. 

Tlie Hero's I^ast Campaigfii. 
Maceo had been requested, it appears, by 
the Revolutionary Junta in New York to do 
something startling about the time when the 
American Congress would meet at Washington. 
He was led to believe that the rebel bands in the 
provinces of Havana and Matanzas were numer- 
ous enough to be of use for a bold raid. He was 
even induced to expect that Maximo Gomez, the 
Generalissimo, had enough organized forces to 
advance by the provinces of Santa Clara and 
Matanzas to co-operate in some striking, if not 
successful, demonstration whilst Weyler was hun- 
dreds of miles off seeking for him in Pinar del 
Rio. Maceo was always ready to attempt daring 
attacks, and on this occasion he was bent upon 
again riding at the head of his cavalry to the vil- 
lages in sight of Havana. Taking with him some 
of his black troopers, he made for the Trocha at 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 509 

the end of November, and a night attack upon 
Artemisa proved to him that General Arolas was 
on his guard, and not Hkely to let him pass with- 
out fierce resistance. He explored the whole 
length of the lines across the island, thirty-one 
miles from Artemisa to Mariel. Everywhere he 
found the Spaniards on the alert, and he hid in 
the nearest Lomas on the Mariel side, near the 
coast, keenly disappointed to find that he could 
not dash across with his veterans. He seems to 
have felt for the first time misgivings and some 
hesitation ; but his instructions were clear, and he 
had sent word to Brigadier Aguirre and other 
Cuban leaders to gather on the Havana side of 
the Trocha. On a dark night a boat was used to 
carry by sea the Cuban chief and about forty of 
his officers and orderlies, including a doctor and 
the young son of Maximo Gomez. They found 
guides to take them to the Havana bands. Maceo 
had not taken into account that the Spanish 
generals had much improved their Intelligence 
Service, and had begun to find more support 
lately among the rural population. In this way 
they had been informed of the approach of 
Maceo and of the gathering .of the rebels. Gen- 
eral Ahumada instantly sent out the picked 
troops he had in Havana — cavalry, artillery, and 
battalions seasoned by more than a year s stay in 
Cuba, Three columns went forward, exploring 



5IO CUBA. 

the country between Havana and the Trocha on 
the Mariel side, under General Figueron and two 
colonels. Maceo had only been three days in the 
province of Havana, and the Madrid Government 
was much displeased when it heard that he had 
passed the Trocha and that for forty-eight hours 
the news had been kept secret from their Gen- 
eral. 

Tlie Final Xragedy. 

It would have gone hard with General Wey- 
ler if Maceo had succeeded even in making only 
a rapid dash to the suburbs of the capital, as he 
intended. The fortune of war favored the 
Governor-General of Cuba. As he was hurry- 
ing back post-haste with seven battalions, several 
squadrons, and mountain artillery — as soon as 
General Ahumada had informed him that his 
enemy was on the Havana side of the Trocha — 
Maceo fell in an obscure fight with a small Span- 
ish column of four hundred and eighty men, 
commanded by a Major Cirujeda, who only be- 
came aware of the significance and importance 
of his brush with the rebels when he was retiring 
towards Havana with his wounded and dead. He 
then discovered that a bugler and a guide of his 
column had found important papers, documents, 
arms, clothing, a field diary, field glasses, and 
watches, which showed that the bodies rifled by 
them were those of Maceo and his Aide-de-Camp, 



FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 5II 

the son of Maximo Gomez. Major Cirujeda 
ordered at once another advance to seize the 
corpses. The insurgents had recovered the al- 
most naked bodies of their two chiefs, and wel- 
comed the Spaniards with a heavy fire, which 
inflicted some losses on the column. Cirujeda 
determined to fall back, as he was short of am- 
munition. He carried to Havana the previous 
data secured by his irregulars, which was the next 
day confirmed by a deserter, the rebel surgeon 
who had been on the staff of Maceo. This eye- 
witness stated that he had seen Maceo drop 
mortally wounded, a bullet having gone though 
his neck, after mangling his face and jaw, and 
another bullet having inflicted a mortal wound in 
the abdomen. The same Spanish volley at close 
quarters had mortally wounded young Gomez 
and less seriously injured several rebel officers. 
Maceo never uttered a word, though he survived 
a few minutes. His followers scattered in all 
directions, but were rallied by their chief, and 
retraced their steps as the Spaniards were retir- 
ing, unconscious of the great advantage they had 
gained. This explains how they carried ofT the 
bodies of Maceo and Gomez. Maceo was much 
detested and dreaded by his opponents, but in 
this war he had faithfully obeyed the instructions 
of the Generalissimo and Cuban Revolutionary 
Executive. Always unsparing in his severity to 



512 CUBA. 

the native-born Cubans who sided with Spain, 
especially the volunteers, guerilleros, and scouts, 
he pointedly showed forbearance — like all the 
Cuban chiefs, as Marshal Campos himself has 
publicly stated — to the Spanish prisoners or sick 
that fell into his hands, sending them back to the 
Spanish outposts. He was the prototype of a 
guerillero himself — a self-made man, who, in ten 
years, rose to be Major-General of the insur- 
gents in 1878, and the idol of the colored 
people, who fancied he would be the Cuban 
Toussaint I'Ouverture. 

Xlie Demand for RecosTnition. 
The death of Maceo created a profound im- 
pression in the United States, and renewed the 
demand that this government recognize the in- 
dependence of the patriots, if not, intervene in 
their behalf. Resolutions to that effect were re- 
ported to the Senate by the Foreign Affairs Com- 
mittee ; but, on intimation that the President 
would disregard them, were laid aside for future 
consideration. Their publication, however, aroused 
a storm of anger in Spain, curiously mixed with 
rejoicings over the fall of Maceo. The year 
1896 closed, therefore, with matters in statu quo — 
the insurgents holding their ground. Weyler 
for a third time in the field, but inactive, and the 
United States preserving an attitude of non-inter- 
vention and impartial neutrality. 






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